Team Starfox: Next
by Foxfire251
Summary: After a mission to investigate a Terran Freighter that crashed on Venom goes awry, Falco dissolves Team Starfox, not wanting to risk the lives of his teammates. 17 years later, an old foe reemerges, and brings with it a conflict that spans the galaxy, bringing together Corneria and the United Planets of Terra, as well as a new Team Starfox.
1. Chapter 1: The good ol' Days

**Team Starfox: Next**

**A fanfic by Foxfire251**

**WARNING****: this fanfic has been given a rating of mature for strong language, gore, violence, use of ballistic firearms, and mild-to-strong sexual themes.**

**Reader descretion is advised**

**Starfox and all related characters therin are the property of Nintendo**

**This is a fan-based work of fiction, and no money will be made off of this**

**Please support the official release**

**The following takes place about seven years after the events of Starfox Assault**

**Chapter one: The good ol' days**

_Corneria City Air force base_

_July 5__th__, 3467_

"Okay, guys… This is it." Fox told his three teammates. Falco, now thirty, was leaning against the wall of the locker room in the hangar. Slippy, 29, was sitting in a chair facing Fox, who was about twenty-nine as well. And their _one_ human member, the so-called 'Boy Wonder of Team Starfox' , bright red hair, light skin, green eyes, about sixteen years old, wore a black flight jumpsuit with the Starfox emblem on the front of it, as well as his arm-worn tactical wristcomm strapped to his left forearm, stood with his fingers touching his chin. His name (well, by that, I mean what his teammates called him for years.) was Rooster. "Shouldn't be too hard," Said Falco, "I mean, we've done this millions of times before. Should be a piece of cake!" "Yeah," Slippy added, "Besides, we've been practicing for months before today! We'll be fine." "And…" Rooster chimed in as well, "This year, I got a freaking _awesome_ stunt planned just for this!" Falco raised an eyebrow. "Whattya gonna do this time, kid?" He asked, "Turn into a _real_ rooster?" "Don't worry, you'll see!" Rooster reassured his teammate, "Trust me, I _got_ this shit!" "Well, try not to divert from the original routine _too_ much, alright kiddo?" Fox told him. "Yeah, yeah, I know." Rooster replied, brushing him off. Just then, there was the roar of a crowd coming from outside. Fox looked to the open hangar door. "We're up." He said, "Let's get to our arwings, guys." Rooster gave a loud clap, then shouted, "Yeah, let's do this!" the group then got into their Arwing fighters, and then took off out the hangar door, one by one.

The crowd for this year's air show was _huge_! There were litterally hundreds of people watching from down below, some even camped out outside the runway in camper vans, tents and trailers. And as they flew over the main runway past the grandstands, _Back in Black_ by AC/DC started playing (it was Rooster's Idea.). They started off with a simple group barrel roll, and as they flew, they sang along to part of the song via their commlink: "'_Cause I'm back…"_ Fox began. _"Yes I'm back…"_ Falco continued. _"Well I'm back…"_ Slippy chimed in, _"Yes I'm back…"_ Fox sang again. _"Well, I'm baa-ha-ha-ha-ha-hack, baa-ha-ha-ha-ha-hack…"_ Rooster sang. _"Well I'm back in black…" _the four then joined in chorus, _"Yes I'm back in black!"_ Fox and Falco then did a duo barrel roll, but did so in a manner that formed a helical pattern. Slippy and Rooster then did a sort of over-and-under shuffle. Rooster then flew right over the crowds in one of the grandstands, upside-down, and gave a big smile for the crowd and a pose. The crowd cheered loudly. After that, Rooster then flew up, still upside down. "Guys, it's time to reveal my big stunt!" Rooster said via commlink. "Uhh, Rooster…" Fox began, "You haven't really gone over this stunt with us, so we don't really know what to expe-" "Alright, let's do this!" Rooster then undid his seatbelt , set his Arwing to auto-pilot, and put his hand on the 'Ejection' handle. "**LEROY JENKINS, MOTHERFUCKERS**!" he pulled the lever and was ejected from his Arwing. There was mixed reactions amongst the team. "Holy shit!" Slippy exclaimed. "What the fuck?!" Falco yelled. "What the hell's he doing?!" Yelled Fox. Rooster pressed a few buttons on the touch screen of his wrist comm, then spread his arms out beside him, like he was an eagle spreading his wings for the first time. The crowd gasped, the music stopped for a moment, and time practically stood still. Rooster closed his eyes, and blocked out the rest of the world. The only sound he heard in his state of 'awesomeness' was the quiet beeping of a timer on his wristcomm, which finally reached zero. At that point, a number of things happened, all in sequential order. One: a bright flash engulfed Rooster's body, and in a dazzling light, his outfit had changed. It was now a full bodysuit that resembled the body and feather colors of a bald eagle, right down to the wings where his arms and hands were. His wrist comm poked out of his left wing, though, but it still looked fucking boss! Two: the cargo compartment on his Arwing opened up, and a metallic red skyboard popped out and flew to it's now freefalling owner. Three: Rooster then got on said skyboard, and automatically strapped his feet to it, then flew to the back of his arwing, which was now flying levely. And four: the tow-line on his arwing shot out the back, with a handle attached to the end of it that resembled one that someone would use for wakeboarding. Rooster grabbed it, and was now sky-boarding from the back of his Arwing! The music picked back up where it stopped when Rooster started his stunt. Falco face-palmed. "He is _such_ an attention-whore!" He yelled through the commlink. "Well, he's sixteen." Fox replied, as if to defend Rooster. "Don't worry guys," Rooster said through the commlink on his wristcomm, "I've got my autopilot programmed to perform the rest of our routine! It'll be just like we practiced, 'cept the only difference is that I'll be flying like a fucking eagle on the back of my Arwing! WOOT!" "I swear to God, Rooster, one of these days, I'm gonna kill you!" Yelled Falco. "Ehhh, c'mon, buddy, You like me and you know it!" Rooster said with a grin. "You DO realize that this stunt of yours is highly dangerous and could possibly result in injury or death, right?" Fox scolded. "Guys…" Rooster said, reassuringly, "… I got this." "Guys, let's just finish our routine first," Said Slippy, cutting in to prevent a possible argument, "We'll have time to argue later."

_Later…_

"… And you could've seriously gotten yourself killed!" Falco yelled at his younger teammate. "But the crowd _loved it_!" Rooster replied, still wearing his ridiculous costume, "Did you even hear them? They were going _**WILD**_! I honestly think that that stunt alone really sold our performance, wouldn't you agree, Fox?... Fox?" Fox was facing his locker, looking a little depressed. Rooster and Slippy both exchanged looks of concern. Falco just shrugged. "Fox?" Asked Slippy, "Is there something wrong?" Fox sighed. "It's just…" He began, but then turned around to face his friends and continued. "Is this what we've become?" The three friends exchanged looks. "What do you mean?" Asked Rooster. "I mean, this whole 'air stunt performer' thing. Is this it?" "Well, yeah man." Rooster answered, "I mean, ever since we saved the galaxy from certain doom for the last time, Team Starfox has become a household name. here, look…" He pulled a shopping bag out from behind the bench. He reached in and pulled out a t-shirt with the Starfox emblem printed on the front of it. "Team Starfox, the t-shirt.." He started listing products as he pulled them out. "Team Starfox the bobbleheads, Starfox the comic book, Starfox the cup coaster, Starfox the rape whistle, Starfox the Action figures (Vehicles and playsets sold seperately), Starfox the freakin' civilian-grade FLAMETHROWER!" He pulled a flamethrower with the Starfox emblem painted on the chemical tanks that were attached to it, then pointed it away from him and the group, and shot out a small, ten second burst of flames from it. "This one, admittedly," Rooster said, placing the 'civilian-grade' weapon on the floor next to him, "People will most likely need to go through a background check to get, because after all, a flamethrower is _still_ considered a deadly weapon, civilian grade or not." "But that's just _it_!" Fox exclaimed, "We used to mean so much more than that! More than just 'coffee mugs' and 't-shirts' and… and… Wait, why a flamethrower?" "Well I-" Rooster began, but Fox got back to his point before he could make his. "Nevermind. Look, the point is, have we really become not much more than…. Celebrities?" "Dude, Being a celebrity is a good thing!" Rooster replied, defending his case, "I mean, everyone knows us! Hell, I'm still the 'Boy Wonder of Team Starfox' !" "Yeah," Falco retorted, slightly irritated, "Well, that's all you got. The whole 'boy wonder' thing. That's the _only_ reason for your popularity." "Yeah, well what do you got?" Rooster asked back, "'The Loner, Falco Lombardi' you're thirty years old and you're _still_ not married!" "Oh yeah? Well get this;" Falco put his left hand on his hip as he continued, "You think your whole 'Boy Wonder' shtick will last forever? Not so. Eventually, like all boy wonders, you're going to _**GROW UP**_! You'll wake up one day, about ten years from now, you go up to the mirror, take a good look at yourself and ask; 'what the hell happened to me?'" "Hey, I'm only sixteen," Rooster answered back, "I got time yet. Besides, you know who else was a famous Boy Wonder? Robin. Well, the Dick Grayson Robin anyway, but anyways, he eventually grew up too. And you know who he grew up to be? Nightwing. He became his own guy, and fought crime on his own, without the help of Batman! Nightwing, bro, Nightwing!" "You think I actually read comic bo-" "**GUYS, ENOUGH**!" Fox yelled, causing the two friends to stop their argument and look to their leader. Fox sighed again, turned around and slammed his left hand on the front of the locker. "I don't want to be a celebrity." He said, "I just want to be Fox McCloud." He then got his duffel bag out of his locker, then turned and left. There was a bit of a silence. Falco then broke it by asking, "So, we're really selling flamethrowers as merchandise, huh?" "Well, we also have nightsticks, brass knuckles, nunchuks, katanas, laser sights for blasters, an… Falco, why are you looking at me like that?" Falco snapped out of his staring bout. "Oh, I'm sorry, Rooster…" He said, "I'm just having trouble taking you seriously when you're dressed like a fucking eagle." "Hey, I worked hard on this costume!" He snapped back, "It took me like, forever to get the damn thing synchronized with my wristcomm!" "Guys, I agree with Fox." Slippy said, suddenly breaking the tension like it was made of styrofoam. "We've become nothing more than commercial sellouts. We were heroes! Now we're nothing more than merchandise and movie deals." He then stood up and walked out too. Falco then turned his attention back to his Rooster.

"Take that thing off right now." He instructed.

"Why?"

"'Cause I'm not letting you go out in public dressed like that."

"You're not my father, you can't tell me what to do!"

"You don't even _have_ a father! You were orphaned at age two, remember?"

"… Why must you hurt me in this way?"

Rooster than undid the zipper on the back of his bodysuit and slipped out of it. He was wearing blue jeans and t-shirt with Falco's likeness printed on the front of it. Under it, it read 'The Loner, Falco Lombardi' He then put all the merchandise back in the shopping bag, put his costume and wristcomm in a Team Starfox backpack, slung it over his back, and placed a Team Starfox Ballcap on his head. Falco was dumbfounded by all of this. "See you later." Rooster said, borderline sad. He then walked off. Falco facepalmed again, then said under his breath, "Fucking sellout."

_To be Continued…_


	2. Chapter 2: Bad Blood

_Author's note: The chapter two you are reading now is the second of two drafts of it. The first version was scrapped because it would lead to a series of chapters that would slow the progress of the fic down quite a bit. Also, in it, I planned on introducing an OC earlier on, rather then a few more chapters in. Additionally, the story itself has went through some changes as well, in terms of characters and overall plot. The reason for this is that I actually ended up watching a playthrough of Starfox 64, and I got a better understanding of the universe through it, as well as a few plot ideas. Well, changes aside, enjoy chapter two. Sorry for the long wait, btw._

**Team Starfox: Next**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this one and all subsequent chapters**

**Reader Descretion is advised**

**Chapter Two: Bad Blood**

_Venom_

_Two years later…_

"Did I ever tell you how much I've always hated this place?"

"Oh, suck it up, will you?"

Fox kept looking at the barren landscape of the hellish planet through his peripheral vision, scanning for any signs of an ambush.

"Easy for you to say, Fal," He replied to his long-time partner and friend via his commlink, "You're not the one whose father died here."

"At least you _knew_ your father." Falco retorted cooly.

"Oh yeah, I keep forgetting about that." Fox remarked, "Speaking of which, legit: If you got married and had a kid, how fucked would you be?" "Probably more fucked than you'll be pretty soon." Falco came back, "By the way, boy or girl?" "Boy." Fox replied, "Krystal's expecting any day now. I'm kinda hoping she doesn't give birth while I'm on this mission." Fox then looked to his left and right, shifting his gaze every minute or so. However, while he did this, he was making his Arwing wobble left and right as well. "Will you stop that!" Falco yelled at him, "You're freaking me out!" "I'm sorry!" Fox yelled back, "It's just that this planet brings up too many memories. Plus, we don't exactly know who or what shot down this Terran Freighter we're going to investigate, nor do we know it's cargo. For all we know, it could've been transporting weapons or experimental ordinance, or-" "Fox, stop." Falco interrupted, "Just stop." "What?" Fox asked. "You're being paranoid." Falco replied, "Whoever shot it down is probably long gone now. So stop worrying, you freaking mary!"

"Umm, guys?" Said another male voice via commlink, "You realize I can hear you two, right?"

Fox and Falco then remembered that they had a fairly new member to their team that they added just for this mission.

He was Conerian, a ferret, to be exact. He had lightish brown fur with a long, darker brown stripe going from his face down to his tail, emerald green eyes, and wore a Team Starfox tactical vest overtop a red skintight flight suit.

"Urgh, shit…" Falco muttered under his breath, "I keep forgetting to change the channels while me and Fox are talking." He then replied to their new teammate's transmission with, "Sorry you had to hear all that, Lee. It's just that-"

"It's just that this planet stirs up some bad blood in me." Fox interrupted, "I really just want to be in and out of here."

Just then, they passed over some large lakes with bright violet waters in them. Lee looked down at one in awe, then said, "Wow, those are some pretty-looking lakes!" Fox chuckled. "Yeah, just don't go swimming in them whatever you do." He replied. "Why's that?" Lee inquired. "'Cause the water in those lakes is pure poison." Fox answered, "In fact, it doesn't just kill you through injestion, oh no, that's just if you're incredibly unlucky. It actually kills you through _mere touch_! It may not be acidic, but I will say this; it does _not_ like the cellular structure of carbon-based lifeforms. You get so much as a single drop on your pinky finger, the whole thing along with your hand will literally melt off! After that, you have to get everything below the infected area amputated. I once heard of a fighter pilot who was shot down during a battle here years ago who crashed into one of the lakes and attempted to swim to shore. The guy ended melting like a candle instead. I wasn't there when it happened, but I can only imagine how gruesome it must've looked."

There was a long, awkward silence, until Falco said…

"Wow, Fox. Thanks' for the nightmare fuel you jerk."

The group continued to fly over the hellish landscape of Venom until they came upon their target; a simple Terran cargo ship.

However, it had apparently crashed into a lava bed, halfway capsized underneath the lake of molten rock.

"Damn…" Said Falco, spotting it. "I guess we know one thing for sure; No survivors." "Yeah…" Lee added, "No one could've survived that." "Well, I guess we're done here, aren't we Fox?" Said Falco. Fox remained silent. Something was up. It had to be. He noticed the the blast marks that littered the ship by way of his Arwing's sonar. Most of them were regular blast marks, but others, however, looked more like holes that had been punctured through the hull. Almost like…

Bullet holes…

And also, there were tow cables that were still attached to the bottom of the ship, as if it were dragged into the lava bed in an effort to…

"Hold a second!" Fox said suddenly, "I don't think this thing was shot down directly on Venom!" "What do you mean?" Falco asked. "I mean that this thing was shot up in space, then dragged here with tow cables, look!" Falco used his sonar and saw the same thing Fox did. "Hey, you're right." He said, "That would only mean that…" Falco trailed off, noticing something that had happened right under his beak.

"Where'd Lee go?" He asked.

Fox went cold with fear.

He knew this trap.

"Fal, back to the Great Fox." He instructed, fear showing up in his voice.

"What, why?" Falco asked.

"Don't you get it?!" Fox yelled at him, "It's a setup! They're going to-"

He was interrupted as several predator-class space fighters de-cloaked around him and Falco. There were three in total, all painted crimson red and bearing an insignia of a scorpion.

After this happened, Fox was hailed by one of them through his commlink. The face of a dark blood red Cornerian scorpion with long, rocker-length black hair, smirking evily. "Attention Starfox bitches!" He bellowed maniacally, "Prepare to die at the hands of the most badass group of mercenaries in the galaxy; Team Star Scorpion!" Completely unimpressed, Falco responded coolly with, "'Team Star Scorpion?' You're just copying off of us and Star Wolf. You guys are probably _so_ unoriginal that-" Just then, he was interrupted when the face of a terran man with blonde hair done in a crewcut and blue eyes showed up on the screen of his commlink and shouted in a loud Russian accent, "Leetle birdie should mind his manners ven talking to Cutter!" "Damn straight, homie." The Scorpion, whom Fox and Falco assumed was named Cutter, added, "'Specially considering the situation you both are in. Why, we could shoot you both down just like we did with that frieghter earlier." "So it was _you_ guys who shot down that freighter!" Said Fox. Cutter sighed, then responded with, "Always the perceptive one, ain'tchya McCloud. Yeah, that was us, alright. But, that was only a ploy to lure you and bird boy wonder over there here." "'Boy wonder?!'" Falco shouted angrily, "**I'M ALL MAN, PAL**!" "ANYways," Cutter continued, ignoring him, "Our orders were to take you both out. However, I kinda wanted to exploit a sort of 'loophole' first." "What's that?" Fox asked, not knowing what to expect. Cutter grinned evily, then said, "Catch me if you can, Foxy!" Cutter then flew off, egging Fox into chasing him. Not wanting to lose his pride in front of his enemies (Or Falco, for that matter), Fox gave chase, using his Arwing's boosters to close the gap between him and cutter. "Fox, wait!" Falco tried to warn him, but Fox had closed his and Falco's commlink channel. "Shit!" Falco swore. Just then, the face of a cornerian boa constrictor women came on the screen of his Commlink. She had bright, yellow reptilian eyes, and dark, forest green scales with lightish-tan colored stripes. "You may go after him if you wish…" She hissed, "It won't matter either way. Cutter issss one of the besssst pilots around!" Falco glared at her defiantly. "We'll see about that!" He then closed that commlink channel and flew off to try and stop Fox from doing something very foolish and prideful.

Meanwhile, Fox continued to chase after Cutter, weaving through deep canyons, crystal-filled caverns, and eventually to a mountainous plain. It wasn't long until he realized that he had lost Cutter completely. "Dammit!" he yelled, pounding at his ship's control panel, "I lost him! Where could he have-"

It was then that he had remembered something that he had forgotten during his temporary lapse in judgement earlier…

Cutter's fighter had a cloaking device.

Cutter then de-cloaked right above Fox, then yelled, "Surprise, muthafucka!" He then fired two shots from his ship's blasters at Fox's Arwing's left thruster, as well as it's wing. Fox went headfirst into the control panel from the impact, causing a gash to appear across his forehead. He then lost control of his Arwing and started to plummet to the ground below.

Falco appeared just in time to see this happen.

"**FOX**!" He yelled, "**NO**!"

Completely ignoring Cutter, knowing, of course, that he couldn't go after him _and _save Fox at the same time, scoured the plains below for any sign of a crash.

"Where are you, you fucking idiot?!" Falco muttered under his breath, looking both ways as he flew over. His scanners then picked up Fox's distress beacon's signal, giving him the exact coordinates of Fox's downed Arwing. Relieved, Falco tracked the signal to it's location, then landed right next to Fox's downed Arwing. He slipped on an oxygen mask, got out a a CQB blaster, then jumped out of the cockpit, running towards the Arwing, bringing with him an emergency kit that he wore on his back. He peered into the ruined cockpit of the downed Arwing.

Fox wasn't there.

He did take note of the fact that the ejector seat had been jettisoned, but Fox's oxygen mask was still there.

This was bad.

While although Venom's atmosphere wasn't deadly, it could make someone very ill if they were exposed to it during long periods of time. Falco grabbed the mask, then looked around, desperate to find any trace of his friend. He then spotted a trail of footprints. He followed them, hoping, praying that Fox was okay. About half a mile away, he found Fox laying on the ground, gasping for breath, his eyes bloodshot. His right arm had been broken in a way that the bone was portruding from the flesh, he had a busted lip, a serious-looking cut across his left cheek, and was still bleeding from the gash on his forehead. Falco knelt down beside Fox, getting out the oxygen mask and slipping it over Fox's face. "Easy now." He instructed, "Breath. In, out." Fox took in gasping breath after breath, his lungs filling with oxygen rather than the noxious chemicals that made up Venom's atmosphere. "Fox, I swear to God, man," said Falco, "What you did just now was more of the kind of thing _I_ would do in that sort of situation." Fox nodded weakly. "It was pretty prideful, yes…" he replied, "Now shut up and bandage my arm, dammit." Falco set right to work, bandaging up Fox's broken arm, taking the stock off of his CQB blaster to use as a makeshift splint. He then made a sling out of his jacket, being sure to allow the Starfox insignia to show on the outside. "Can you walk?" Falco asked. "I limped here if that's what you're asking." Fox answered cooly. Falco slung the CQB blaster around his shoulder, using his right arm to help Fox walk back to his Arwing. As they waked closer to it, however, Falco noticed a column of smoke rising from it's location. He went wide eyed, then muttered as they walked faster, "Please, oh please let that not be my arwing!"

When they got there, he soon realized that luck just wasn't on their side today.

Falco's Arwing had been completely trashed, ransacked, and even vandalized with spraypaint graffiti. "Oh, you gotta be **SHITTING** me!" He yelled, forgetting he was helping Fox and ran towards his Arwing. He checked one of the compartments on the underside of the ship, the slammed his right hand on the side of the wing and said, "Brilliant, they took the repair kit. They took the fucking repair kit to add insult to fucking injury!" "Hey…" Said Fox suddenly, "There's something spraypainted on the front in Russian." Falco walked over to Where Fox was looking, and read it, since he actually knew how to speak and read Russian. His brow then furrowed in anger as he kicked at the ground, yelling "That **DICK**!" He then saw another piece of writing on the side that read; 'Suck my stinger, birdboy! Love, Cutter' "I will fucking **MURDER THAT GUY**!" Falco bellowed. "Goddammit, this sucks!" He then slammed his hand against the hull of his Arwing.

After he did that, the landing gear gave way and the ship fell on the ground.

Falco looked at his Arwing for a moment, then said, "Really could've done without that."

"Fal…" Said Fox, "Our oxygen masks won't last forever. You have some kind of excape plan?" Hearing this, Falco turned to face Fox, then scowled and replied, "Gee, I don't know. Maybe you should tell me, fearless leader!" "Falco…" said Fox, "I'm too injured to argue with you right now. Now, is there any way we can get in touch with Slippy on the Great Fox?" "Well, give me a moment, lemme check my Arwing's commlink…" He then climbed on the side of the ship and peered into the cockpit. He then attempted to turn on the commlink system to no avail, as the ship's power core had been take out. "There isn't…" He said, "They took out the power core. We're on our own…" he then looked back to Fox with a glare, then bellowed, "… And it's all your fault! You could've just stuck with doing those stupid-assed airshows every year, maybe eventually taken up a real job, but no, you had to go and try to relive the glory days by accepting a mission that practically came out of no where!" "Oh yeah?" Fox retorted coolly, "Then tell me, Falco; where did Lee go off to? After all, he is our newest member, and by that, I mean he's some guy met in a bar three days ago!"

"Yeah?" Falco came back, "Well this time I was sober… ish…"

"Oh, yeah, that's _**SO**_ reassuring! Knowing that our new member might be a traitor!"

"You don't know that!"

"Okay, then why did he disappear after I figured out who shot down the freighter?"

"…"

"I don't know that, huh? How typical of you, Falco. How very typical."

"… At least I'm not out on a mission while my wife is expecting."

"**THAT'S IT**!"

Fox drew his blaster out of it's holster with his left hand, which held some difficulty, and pointed it at Falco. Taking a hint, Falco pulled on the readying lever on his CQB blaster and held it in front of him, pointing it at Fox. "You wanna tango, son?" Falco bellowed at him, "I will fucking end you!" "Really? You're gonna kill me when my wife is about to bear my son?" Fox snapped back.

"You're the one who pulled out his blaster first!"

"And you're the one whole brought up my pregnant wife in the first place!"

"And you're… Dammit, I had something for this!"

"You know what, Falco? I want something bad to happen to you right now."

"Yeah? Well I want something worse to happen to you right now!"

And, as if on cue, the two quarrelling teammates heard the sound of about a hundred blasters being readied, their laser sights all converging on their bodies.

"Drop your weapons!" One of soldiers they were surrounded by commanded.

There was something eeriliy familiar about those soldiers.

Regardless, Fox dropped his blaster, as Falco did his. The two then got down to their knees, putting their hands (Or in Fox's case, 'hand') behind their heads. Just then, the crowd of soldiers parted in the middle, and from a nearby cruiser popped a familiar face.

"No fucking way…" Falco muttered in shock.

"It's been a long time, Mr. McCloud… A _very_ long time…"

"… Andrew?"

Sure enough, it was in fact Andross's cold-hearted simian nephew, Andrew. He wore a very high-tech looking body armor, coupled with a long, body enveloping cape, and held a cane with the Andross Imperial emblem made of gold decorating the top of it.

Fox looked at his old-time enemy in shock. "I thought you were-" He began, but Andrew interrupted with, "Dead? That's what you were going to say, was it not? No… Far from it, actually. You see, for me…" He narrowed his gaze at Fox, "… Death was only the beginning." He then walked over to him and Falco, circling them like a shark. "When you 'killed' me, you forgot one thing; I am the kind of person who would hold a grudge from even the great beyond. The kind of person who would claw his way out from the depths of Hell itself. The kind of person, Mr. McCloud, that would monitor you and your friends and calculate each and every single move you made for quite some time. And how would I ever guess that you and your detestable friends…" He pulled out a Fox McCloud bobblehead toy from behing his cloak and dropped it in fron fo Fox. "… Would be the kind of people to sell out and become celebreties. By the way, it's an interesting likeness." Falco chuckled. "Yeah, probably wish you had the whole set, don'tchya, Andy?" He retorted defiantly. "Oh, and who could _ever_ forget about you, Mr. Lombardi-"

"Please, it's just Falco… 'Mr. Lombardi' was my father."

Andrew chuckled a little, as if he found Falco's sarcasm amusing. "Charming. But I wonder, though…" he then knelt down to Falco's level, then queried, "Have you ever wondered what your father was even like?"

Falco looked at him suspiciously. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.

Andrew smirked, then said, "I mean, that I actually had the pleasure of meeting your father once. He was a very capable scientist. He helped to create many of the weapons and technology my Uncle Andross used in his quest for revenge against Corneria."

Falco looked at him, wide-eyed for a moment, then glared, and bellowed, "You liar! Don't talk about my father like that you piece of shit!"

Andrew then belted Falco in the gut, causing him to fall forward a little. "You coward…" Fox muttered. Andrew turned to him next, looking at him with eyes that would normally be reserved for observing animals in the wild. "What was that?" He asked. Fox glared at him, then responded, "You heard me. The things you did back then, the things you did just now, all acts of cowardice. You had mercenaries attack us when you could have easily done it yourself. And then you waited until we were too busy arguing to notice you and your men de-cloak all around us. Face it. you're nothing but a coward… Just like Andross." Andrew then stood Fox up forcefully, then pulled a dagger from his cane, then stabbed Fox through the stomach with it. Falco watched in horror as this happened. "**FOX**!" he yelled. Andrew then pulled the knife from Fox's stomach, allowing blood to gush out of the fresh wound. Fox fell to his knees, holding his wound with his left hand, then onto his back. Andrew then yanked off Fox's oxygen mask, causing him to start gasping again. "What the fuck?!" Falco yelled, "You already stabbed him, why'd you ha-" "And now for you, bird boy…" Andrew then yanked off Falco's mask, then plunged the blade of his dagger into Falco's left eye, wiggling it around inside his eye cavity, scrambling it. Falco cried out in pain as he did so, his right hand trembling as he tried to lift it in an attempt to pry Andrew's dagger out of his eye. He then took the knife out, then kicked Falco in the side, knocking him over. Falco's vision became blurred with red as blood and vitriol fluid trickled out of his left eye socket. He turned his head so that he could see to his left, and saw that Andrew and his men were boarding their transport cruiser. "Wait…" Falco called out weakly, "You could kill us pretty easily as we are now. Why aren't you?" Andrew turned to him as he boarded the cruiser, looked him in his good eye, then answered, "Because… I'm going to leave you, as you left me." The door then closed behind Andrew, and the cruiser flew off. Falco looked up at the cruiser, then yelled at the top of his lungs,

"**ANDREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW**!"

Fox coughed up some blood, and upon hearing this, Falco turned back to his friend. Suddenly, he felt very nauseated. He then knelt over and vomited all over the red dirt-cover ground. He was already feeling the effects of exposure to Venom's atmosphere.

Again, while it was not deadly poison, it was actually more of a narcotic if anything. Symptoms of overexposure included, nausea, intense fever, difficulty breathing, trembling, hallucinations, and, if exposure goes on for over a month, brain damage.

He then knelt over Fox, tears forming around his uninjured eye.

"… You're crying…" Fox said weakly. "Yeah?" Falco replied in the middle of a sob, "What about it?" "It's just that I've never seen you cry before… It's new to me…" "Yeah…" Falco retorted, "So is impaired depth perception, but you don't hear me complaining." Fox smiled weakly. "Falco…" He said, "There's something I always wanted to say, but never really could bring myself to say it…" "What's that?" Falco asked. Fox motiong for Falco to come closer. Falco did so, and Fox whispered something in his ear. Upon hearing it, falco jerked his head back and yelled, "Wait, **YOU WERE ****WHAT**?!" "It was a phase I went through before I met Krystal…" Fox explained, "If I hadn't met her at all, things might've been different now… We might've been… Together…" "So, you're telling me that you were _gay_ for me a long period of time?!" "I said it was just a phase!" Fox coughed up a chunk of blood. "Easy, easy!" Said Falco, holding him.

There was brief silence, then Fox said, "… You have strong arms…" Falco then placed Fox back on the ground, then said, "Shut the fuck up Fox… That's really wierding me out." "If we or you get off this planet," said Fox, feeling his end coming, "Don't tell her about all that, but do tell her that I'm sorry. And tell her to make sure that my son knows my name." Fox took a few gasping breaths, then said, "Well, it began for me on this planet, I guess it'll end for me here as well. There's last thing, Falco, then I can rest in piece." Falco sniffled. "What's that?" he asked. "Kiss me…" Fox whispered. Falco looked at him funny. "You don't have to tell anyone you did it…" Said Fox, "It won't leave Venom. I will take it with me to the grave."

For a moment, Falco's right eye twitched as he considered the consequences of something like this. However, Fox was right about one thing…

It didn't have to leave Venom…

Didn't mean he would enjoy it, though…

Falco then slowly, yet cautiously leaned over to Fox's face, closing his good eye, then lowered his beak to Fox's lips, and was about to pull away and say, "Nope, can't do it, sorry!" when Fox pulled him forward, locking his lips with his beak in a long, one-sided open-tongue kiss. Falco's eye went wide with shock and disgust. He then pulled away, then yelled, "Dude! What the fuck is this? Pandor-" he stopped mid-sentence.

Fox lay there, his eyes forever closed in the dreamless sleep of death.

Falco fell back onto his rear, looking up at the sky, praying that Slippy would catch on soon and come and rescue them.

It wouldn't be for about 48 hours before they were rescued.

And even then…

It was still too late for Fox.

_To be continued…_

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_Author's follow-up note: Once again, I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated this, and yet, here we stand. Also, the whole FoxXFalco thing, It was meant to be a reference to my reaction to most of the artwork surrounding this pairing, or at least as far as Falco's reaction goes. And as for Andrew… Well, I honestly couldn't think of a better villain for this fic. Not even an OC. And Star Scorpion… Well, think of them as the new Star Wolf. _

_Okay, I'm done with this shit. On to play some Animal Crossing: New Leaf!_


	3. Chapter 3: Daddy issues

_Author's note: Okay, so once again you are reading yet another second draft of a chapter. 'Cause apparently I can't make up my damn mind on how this fic will play out. Hopefully this won't happen for a third time, at least not consequetively. Anywho, please enjoy this chapter. Also, kudos if you can figure out who I'm referencing with this one OC!_

**Team Starfox: Next**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**Reader Descretion is advised.**

**Chapter three: Daddy Issues**

_NovaTech Solar farm_

_Corneria City, Corneria_

_Seventeen years later…_

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A group of three youthes sped along the row of solar panels on their hoverboards, knowing, of course, that they were trespassing and therefore breaking the law.

One was a young, eighteen year old Saurian raptor boy with light brown scales, darker brown hair that was long and reached almost to his shoulders, green, reptilian eyes, and wore a dark blue t-shirt with a picture of a cartoonish Venusaur with a text bubble over it that read, "I mean, Venusaur.", grey denim shorts that had rips and tears in them here and there from bailing so many times, elbow pads, and wore his sneakers with his curl toe claw sticking out.

The next was a Cornerian rabbit girl, seventeen in age, dark brown fur, long blonde hair that was done in braids, hazel eyes, and wore a white tube top with a picture of a chibi-looking bunny holding an UZI, long, black and red striped fingerless sleeve gloves that reached to her elbows, tight, blue denim jeans, and a pair of pink sneakers.

Lastly, was their so-called ringleader, who happened to be the very son of Corneria's greatest hero, Fox McCloud. His name was-

"Hey, Marcus!" The raptor yelled, "Check this shit out!" The raptor then lept up and caught some air, then grabbed his board with his tail and flipped it, then yelled, "Literal Varial Tailflip!"

"Good one, Ego!" Marcus called out with a smirk. "I got something for you guys!" The Rabbit called out. She then jumped onto a guard rail on a catwalk, and did a darkslide, which quickly turned into a boardslide, then back, and repeated this pattern about six times. "Patty flip slide!" She yelled. Seeing this, Ego scoffed playfully then said, "Anyone could do that, Koko!" Koko stuck her tongue out at Ego, who in response flipped her the middle finger.

Just then, Marcus eyed a discarded solar panel that was positioned like a ramp, then saw a long, shallow cooling irrigation canal flowing beneath it. He then grinned, then said, "Check this one out, guys!" he then sped forward, gathering speed, then launched off the makeshift ramp, gaining massive air…

But messed up, and ended up falling face-first into the cooling canal!

Foturnatly for him, the canal was at least deep enough to cushion his fall.

"Holy shit!" yelled Ego. Him and Koko then sped towards their friend to see if he was okay. "Hey, Marcus!" He called out, "Y'alright?"

The blue-furred Cerinian/Cornerian hybrid coughed, holding his side because of the force of the fall. "I'm fine…" He called, "Just fine. How're you?"

Just then, the three friends then heard that magical, melodious phrase calling out to them:

"**HEY**!** WHAT'RE YOU KIDS DOING HERE**!"

The three looked up to another catwalk, seeing what looked like a worker who was employed at the solar farm, yelling at them angrily.

"Oh, shit…" Said Marcus.

"**BAIL**! **BAIL**! **BAIL**!" Ego yelled.

The group then sped as fast as they could to the exit of the facility, as to avoid getting in trouble with the law (Ego especially, since he was eighteen, and therefore a legal adult)!

The group was soon almost out of the facility. This was it. they were once again going to evade getting busted by the cops!

... when suddenly, Marcus got hit by a car stopping right beside him after he left the front gate.

His friends turned back only once to see if he was alright, but then sped off again when they saw exactly what the car that hit Marcus looked like.

Luckily, though, the car didn't hit him that hard, in fact, it only knocked him off his board. Marcus pulled himself to his knees, wincing as he felt his slightly bruised forehead.

He then froze when he heard the familiar sound of a police siren next to him.

He glanced at the squad car that had hit him, then stood up, and said, "Well, shit…"

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_Peltwick Elementary School_

_Corneria City_

_A few minutes later…_

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Falco, now about fifty years old, blew his whistle, hustling his students to keep up their exercises. "Alright, ladies!" he called out, his voice slightly raspy, "Hustle, hustle! I'd better see those chins go over the chin-up bars!" just then, he was approached by an 8-year-old Cornerian dog boy. "Coach Lombardi?" He whined. Falco looked down at him. "What is it, Simon?" He asked. Simon showed him his elbow, which had a small scrape on it. "I scraped my elbow…" He whimpered. "Awww, poor baby…" Falco replied with mock sympathy, "You scraped your elbow, did you?" He then pointed at the eyepatch that covered his left eye and yelled, "**I GOT STABBED IN THE FUCKING EYE ONCE**!" Simon looked up at him in fear, tears forming in his eyes. "Now you tell me who's more worse off, cupcake?" Falco finished, "Take a lap, kid." Simon then ran away, crying. "Fucking little putz…" Falco muttered.

"Falco?"

Falco turned to see his boss, as well as a personal friend of his, Katt, approach him. "Well, well," He said, "Princible Katt. To what do I owe the pleasure this time?" "You have a phone call on line 8." Falco raised an eyebrow. "Who from?" He asked.

"It's Marcus…" Katt replied, "… Again."

Falco growled. "What did that little bastard do _this time_?"

"The caller ID says he's calling from the Police station." Katt answered.

"Well, fucking brilliant!" Falco yelled irritably.

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_Four hours later…_

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There was complete silence as Falco drove Marcus home from the Police station. Marcus knew he was indeed in a lot of trouble.

Finally, Falco broke it by asking, "Marcus, what gave you the notion that breaking into a solar farm to go hoverboarding was a _good_ idea?"

"… Because it has some killer spots?" Marcus answered, cringing a little.

Falco sighed irritably.

More silence.

Then…

"Marcus, let me tell you this…" Falco turned the rearview mirror so that Marcus could see the anger in his good eye, "… You think _I'm_ mad at you? Just wait until your mother hears about this!"

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_McCloud Residence_

_225 Ellis St._

_Corneria City, Corneria_

_A little bit later…_

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"You did **WHAT**?!" Krystal yelled.

Marcus cringed. Once again, he found himself being yelled at by his mother for screwing up.

"He's lucky I didn't leave him in jail overnight to teach him a lesson like I originally wanted to." Falco added.

"Falco, let me deal with _my_ son, okay?" Krystal snapped at him, "But more importantly, why do you keep doing these things, Marcus? It's bad enough you're failing high school, why do you have to go and break the law on top of it all?"

Marcus shrugged irritably. "It's not like you're making an effort to stop me." He snapped back.

Before Krystal could retort, Falco then said, "You're father would be disappointed in you if he was here right now."

This comment set Marcus off.

"Yeah?" He retorted angrily, "Well, he's not! He never was, and he never will be! Nrrghh! I _hate_ him for that!" He then stormed off to his room upstairs and slammed the door, locking it. And, as a measure to drown out his mother or Falco, he turned his stereo on, playing, 'Institutionalized' by Senses Fail on max volume.

Krystal then glared at Falco. "Why did you have to say that?" She asked, "That was _completely_ uncalled for and you know it!" "Blame Fox for fucking dying, alright?!" Falco barked.

Krystal was taken aback by this statement. Falco then got up from where he was sitting, then grabbed his keys, put on his leather jacket, then walked to the front door. "I'm going to the bar." He said, opening the door, "I'm not dealing with this shit today." He then walked out and shut the door behind him.

Krystal sank into the couch she was sitting on. She then turned on her side, gazing at an old photo of her and Fox on their wedding day.

Her dress in that photo was beautiful. It was made of pure, lightish tan silk, and was designed like a traditional Cerinian wedding gown, with beads lining the collar and waist made of turqoise and obsidian, golden coloring on the seams, and a corsetted waist. She also wore a beautiful crown made of daisies, a rare flower found only on her home planet of Terra.

And Fox…

He look absolutely handsome in his black tux. Almost like a Cornerian James Bond.

All he was missing was Bond's signature Walther PPK pistol.

"I miss you…" She muttered, sadness in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Marcus sat on his bed, holding a SIG Saur P226 airsoft gun, staring at an old 'Starfox: Voyages of the Great Fox' poster that hung in his room across from the end of his bed. The post had a picture of Fox in front of the Great Fox, smiling triumphantly and giving the 'thumbs up' pose.

He glared at it, then fired an airsoft pellet at it.

_I hate you…_ he though angrily, _Why did you have to die?_

He fired two more pellets at it for good measure, then lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling angrily.

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_Cecil's Pub_

_Downtown Corneria City_

_7:45 PM_

_Later that night…_

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Falco sat at the counter, staring at his empty mug that had previously held beer in it. "Why are you staring at your mug?" Asked the bartender, who was a Cornerian porcupine with a scar across his left cheek. "I'm trying to develop psychic powers like the Cerinians of Terra," He replied sarcastically, not quite drunk yet, "Figure I could fill the mug on my own if I concentrate hard enough."

The bartender stared at him.

"… And how's that goin' for ya?" He asked.

Falco sighed irritably.

"… Just give me a goddamn bottle of whiskey." He said.

The bartender nodded, then walked over behind the counter, then brought over a bottle of Jack Daniels and put it in front of Falco. "Drink up, brother." He said. Falco opened the bottle, then replied, "Amen." He then guzzled down a mouthful of the hard liqour, then slammed the bottle on the counter.

He tried to remember back to Venom, to remember what happened that led to Fox's death.

He found himself at a loss, however.

His memories of that day were a bit fuzzy.

All he knew was that Fox died, and Andrew was responsible.

That's all he knew, and that was good enough for him.

"… Feeling worse for the wear, Mr. Lombardi?"

Falco turned around on his barstool to see two Cornerian Army officers standing there.

One was a 38 year old Cornerian labrador with tanish-yellow fur, blue eyes, grey hair that was styled in a military buzzcut, and wore a Cornerian officer's uniform, bearing the rank of Lt Colonel.

The other was a Cornerian gecko, about 19 in age, with forest green scales, amber reptilian eyes, long black hair that was parted in the middle and styled in a ponytail, and wore a similar uniform to the other officer, except this one bore the rank of 1st Lt.

Falco smirked. "Well, isn't this something?" He said sarcastically, "Come to recruit me?"

"Nothing of the sort," Said the Lab, "Lt. Colonel Drake Thurgood, Cornerian Army. This is my assistant, Lt. Fletcher Gecko of the Cornerian Air Force."

"A little bit of a fan." Said Fletcher, "Pleased to meet you anyway. Real sorry about what happened to Fox."

"We understand you fought against Andrew Oikanny years ago, is that correct?" Asked LTC. Drake. Falco glared at him for bringing up the subject. "Yeah…" He answered, "What about it? You want a fucking autograph? Maybe the kid over there will want his picture taken next to me so he can fucking Instagram it?"

"General Tybalt of the Cornerian Army wishes to speak to you about that encounter you had with him on Venom about seventeen years back." Drake replied, ignoring Falco's comment.

"Alright, how's this sound?" Falco then flipped him the middle finger, "Go fuck yourself, cupcake." He then slammed his car keys on the counter along with his tip, then grabbed the bottle and walked out of the bar, half drunk. He was only about a foot away from the bar when Fletcher came up and turned him around.

He looked mighty pissed, too.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked angrily.

"You realize how badly I could beat your ass, right Sally?" Falco retorted, half sarcastically and half drunk.

"When I was a kid…" Fletcher began, "… I watched the 'Starfox: voyages of the Great fox' TV show religously. And out of all the members of Team Starfox, you were my favorite. I had all the action figures, but every time a new one of you came out, I would go to the toy store and buy it. I even had the Starfox Street Warrior Motorcycle that came with a figure of you. And now, years later, I see you, old and drunk?"

"Listen, kid." Said Falco cooly, "Not everything's like the TV show. In fact, I fucking hated that goddamn show. I actually hate every bit of media and merchendise that was ever made of us. The _real_ Starfox wasn't about all that shit! We were heroes! Not goddamn celebrities! Now I'm going to say this once and only once; I'm not talking to your goddamn General dipshit or whoever, alright? He should know that Oikanny is a ghost. He'd be wasting his time chasing him."

Fletcher glared at him one final time, then pulled out a manila envelope, and slammed it in Falco's hand.

"Read this…" He snarled, "… Then tell us tomorrow whether or not chasing him is worth a damn." He then stormed off back into the bar.

Falco eyed the envelope, then walked over into the alley next to the bar and opened it.

His right eye went wide with shock when he saw it's contents.

It was a picture of a giant space station with a huge satelite-like dish attached to the front of it under construction that was taken by a Recon drone. It bore the Oikanny emblem on the side of it.

There was also another picture.

It was of an older Cornerian Falcon, about 93 in age, his feathers dull and matted, his green eyes looking weary, and wore a pair of rectangular eyeglasses over his eyes.

Under the picture was the name: Dr. Clark Stillwater Lombardi.

"… What the shit tacos?" Falco muttered under his breath.

_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4: Raiders of Krazoa Palace

**Team Starfox: Next**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapters also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**Reader Descretion Advised.**

**Chapter Four: Raiders of Krazoa Palace**

_Thorntail Hollow_

_Western hemisphere, Terra_

_Terran System_

_That same moment…_

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Thorntail Hollow…

One of the most peaceful jungles in the entire Western Hemisphere of the planet Terra.

It's also home to the Saurian/Cerinian village of Eastpaw Village, ruled by the wise and just ruler, Grand Elder Tricky.

However, although there is mostly peace, there is still conflict.

A war is being waged deep in the jungles to the west of Thorntail Hollow.

A war amongst Terrans(1) .

On one side is the Terran Intergalactic Militia, fighting to keep the peace in their once lonely Solar System.

And on the other is the Terran Drug Cartels, who have been running marajuana and Cocaine plantations on the Western Hemisphere, and have also been harrassing the locals.

Tricky himself told the Terran Government that he would rather stay neutral in this conflict, as not to endanger his people, and…

(… And I should probably stop wasting your time with this backstory bullshit and get right to the plot, so here goes…)

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A young, 16 year old Cerinian fox boy wandered through the jungles west of Thorntail Hollow. He had bright, cerulean blue fur that matched that of his mother and his wayward aunt, purple eyes, and wore a simple Cerinian tribal outfit consisting of a hide vest, loincloth, bracelets made of turqouise gems, a pendent made of pumice and obsidian from one of the volcanoes up north, and a bag that he wore on a long belt.

He also had a quiver with arrows in it, a pair of Cerinian short swords made of iron, a bow, some throwing needles, and a small obsidian knife he kept in a sheath on his right leg.

Currently, he was out investigating the disappearence of a friend of his and her brother. He was pretty sure they were kidnapped, possibly by the cartels. After all, his friend did often badmouth them whenever they harrassed his village.

Suddenly, he heard a loud bang, almost like thunder.

It was the Terrans, it had to be. The loud bang of their rifles was unmistakable. He ran in the direction of the noise, being sure to keep himeself hidden as a precaution.

Sure enough, there was a Terran in a clearing up ahead. The young Cerinian kept himself hidden in the bushes as not to arouse unwanted attention.

This Terran didn't look like he was with the Cartels, in fact, he was dressed very differently than their security forces.

He was dressed an outfit that bore a pattern that resembled the forest itself, and seemed to also be wearing some kind of body armor all over, but it was none like he had ever seen before. Even the helmet looked out of this world. There was also some kind of emblem on the sides of the helmet and on the right side of the chest of the body armor bearing the image of a strange-looking skull. This strangely-clad Terran carried a long, black gun with some kind of pump under the barrel, which he proceeded to pulling on, discharging a small, red tube of some kind.

Suddenly, he heard another terran off to the left yelled something in a langauge he didn't understand, that being English. Another similarly dressed terran approached the other one and began yelling at him. The other terran pointed towards the bushes to the right and said something that sounded like he was explaining himself. The new terran yelled again, this time sounding like he was scolding the other one. The two argued a little longer, then walked off to left of the Cerinian's vison.

The boy waited until they were out of sight, then ran over to where the red tube fell. He picked it up so he could examine it more closely.

It was a reddish-orange, and had a metal base of some kind. The inside of it was hollow, but had a strange smell to it, almost like smoke. There was a black stamp on the side of it that read 'Remington' whatever or whoever that was. He put the tip of his tongue to the opening and instantly regretted it. It had very foul taste. He dropped it the minute he winced from the taste.

Just then, he heard a moan come from the bushes to the right of where he had hid. He ran over to it, and went wide-eyed with shock and horror.

A big Saurian triceratops lay on his side, blood dripping from his mouth, looking like he was in great, devastating pain. He also had a large wound on his left side, as if it had been torn open.

"Tykho!" (2) the Cerinian cried, running over to the Triceratops' side. "Tykho… Are you…" Tykho coughed up some blood then looked up at the Cerinian. "Ashkhou…" He managed to get out. "Don't worry, Tykho," Said Ashkouh, "I'll go get help from the village. You'll be-"

"No, Ashkouh…"

Ashkouh looked at Tykoh when he said this, stunned.

"Wha-What?"

"I'm afraid that my wounds are too fatal to be healed by our villagers healers. Besides, there are more pressing matters to worry about than me right now."

"More pressing matters?" Ashkouh asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Tykho motioned for Ashkouh to come closer. Ashkouh obediantly leaned in closer so he could hear Tykho's last words.

"The Terrans that dealt me my wounds are after something at Krazoa Palace. An object that contains so much sacred power, it could mean the end of everything if it falls into the wrong hands."

"What are they after?"

"The Idol of Andro-Ma. It is a sacred object hidden deep within the depths of the Palace. However, be warned. There are many traps laid there by our ancestors to ensure that it doesn't get stolen by wrongdoers. Also… The Terrans… They have Riin and Talzo!"

Ashkouh's eyes went wide with fear.

"The-they do?!" He exclaimed.

Tykho nodded.

"Yes." He replied, "I tried to save to save them, but I was powerless against their thundersticks. Ashkouh… You must get there first and retrieve the Idol before they do, then rescue Riin and Talzo. We can't let the idol fall into the wrong hands. If… it… does…"

Tykho's eyes then slid closed as he drew his final breath.

And then he was gone…

Ashkouh stared at Tykho's still form for about a minute, tears in his eyes. Tykho was an old friend of his. He helped raise him after his father was killed by the Cartels.

And now they killed him…

Ashkouh then stood up, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes.

He looked up, then shouted what sounded like an impersonation of some kind of bird call.

He waited about a minute and a half, then watched as a reddish-orange pteradactyl flew down from the sky and landed right next to him.

"Prince Ashkouh!" The Pteradactyl greeted, "What do you require?"

"Clouddancer," Said Ashkouh, "I require some assistance on your hand with a task that master Tykho left me before he…" He trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence lest he be reminded of his caretaker's death. Clouddancer tilted his head in confusion. "Before he 'what' Ashkouh?"

Ashkouh looked down, then pointed at where Tykho lay dead. Clouddancer gave a short, audible yelp at what he saw.

"Oh my…" He said, frowning.

"I need you to take me to Krazoa Palace, Clouddancer," Ashkouh instructed, "And I need you to take me there very quickly, with great haste." "Why?" Clouddancer queried. "Because the Terrans that did this to Master Tykho plan on stealing the Idol of Andro-Ma!"

"The idol of Andro-Ma?!" Clouddancer exclaimed, "Why didn't you say so sooner?! Hop on!"

Ashkouh then hopped on Clouddancer's back, being careful not to hurt him in doing so. Clouddancer then spread his wings wide and took flight.

However, before he got too far above the ground, two green helicopters flew right over them, their propellers spinning as loudly as roaring winds. As they passed, a splotch of some kind of sticky black juice splattered on Ashkouh's forehead.

"Ick! What is this stuff?" He exclaimed. He touched a finger to it, then smelled it. It gave off an odor more foul than brimstone. "Here," Said Clouddancer, turning his head to face Ashkouh, "Allow me, my prince."

"Clouddancer, I really don't think-" Ashkouh began, but was ignored as Clouddancer licked the black gunk off of Ashkouh's forehead.

He instantly regretted doing so.

"Bleugh!" He exclaimed, his tongue sticking out in disgust, "It tastes like dried, rotten Keatru Leaves(3)!"

"Clouddancer!" Ashkouh scolded, trying to get him back on track.

Clouddancer looked back to Ashkouh, realizing what they were going to do in the first place.

"Oh, right! Sorry!"

He then took flight once more, this time flying off towards Krazoa Palace, which lay to the Northeast.

A few minutes into the flight, Clouddancer decided to make some light conversation.

"You know," He said, "I remember when your Aunt Krystal once made the trek to Krazoa Palace with my father, Cloudwalker years ago. Of course, back then I was but a hatchling still in my mother's nest. Then I heard she met some outworlder and ran off with him. I haven't seen her since then. I wonder where he took her?"

"What was the outworlder's name?" Asked Ashkouh.

"Ummmmm…" Clouddancer strained his brain trying to think of the name, then replied, "You know, I have no idea. My father never really mentioned his name, just that Krystal ran off with him." Clouddancer sighed. "I miss her so much. I know you didn't get to know her, 'cause you were born long after she left, but she was nice. You would've liked her a lot. She was a lot like your-"

Clouddancer stopped himself as realized exactly what he was going to say. Ashkouh looked away towards the ground, grimly reminded of his mother's recent passing.

"Uhhhh…." Clouddancer then spotted their destination. "Oh! Hey look!" He exclaimed, "Krazoa Palace! We made it there faster than I anticipated!"

Ashkouh's ears perked back up as he looked around below them. "There doesn't seem to be signs of any Terrans anywhere." He said, "We must've made it here first, then. There…" He pointed at a large rooftop landing on the west side of the palace. "Land there. I'll be able to enter from the third floor as not to arouse any unwanted attention." Clouddancer nodded. "Right…" He happily replied, "You got it, boss!" He then decended towards the clearing and landed gently on the ledge. Ashkouh lept off of Clouddancer's back and onto the stone floor of the roof landing. "Keep watch out here." He instructed, "If you see Terran Activity of _any_ kind, signal me." "What should the signal be?" Clouddancer asked. Ashkouh pointed over to an entrance, which led to the inner sanctum of the structure. "Run over there, and yell 'Ka-Kaww' as loud as you can, alright?" Clouddancer nodded. "Gotchya!" he responded. Ashkouh then ran off into the inner depths of Krazoa Palace.

The inner depths of Krazoa Palace did indeed have a lot of traps set in it. Ashkouh had a close call with many a trap within the walls of the palace; spike pits, motion-activated flame cannons, guillotine pendalums, and even an elaborate dart trap that was similar to the one in the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark (But that's not important right now.). But at last, he had made it.

The Chamber of Ori-uhn.

The final resting place of the idol of Andro-Ma.

The idol itself was almost a cylinderical shape, but had a brass head on top of it that resembled a T-rex. The lower cylinderical body, however, looked strangely like it might have been made of a more shinier metal at one point, but was rusted and faded now.

And there it was, resting on a pedestal in the very middle of the room.

Right there in the open.

It seemed easy…

Too easy…

Ashkouh knew it had to be rigged with some kind of booby-trap.

On the wall behind the pedestal was some kind of inscription, depicting a Cerinian attempting to steal the idol, but then being coated in what looked like liquid fire.

Ashkouh took a deep breath, then slowly crept up to the idol.

His heart raced, beads of sweat formed on his brow.

He almost within arms reach of the idol…

When suddenly…

He heard shouts come from the other entrance.

Commanding ones.

He also heard the click of a gun being readied.

Ashkouh turned around and saw three Terrans wearing the same kind of outfits the ones he encountered earlier were wearing.

He also heard the signal word being yelleds by Clouddancer.

"Ka-Kaaawww! Ka-Kaaaww! Ah-ah-ee-ee-Tooki-tooki!"

One of the Terran that was carrying a smaller, handheld gun walked right up to Ashkouh and barked something in that english language.

Ashkouh said nothing, as he didn't understand him.

The terran yelled it again, the pointed at the Idol.

There was only one word that the terran yelled that Ashkouh understood.

"Andro-Ma"

Ashkouh nodded, and was then pushed aside to the floor by the Terran. Ashkouh looked back to the inscription on the wall, then back at the terran.

"Wait!" He yelled, trying to warn him, "Don't do it! It's rigged with a-" The terran shouted something at him, as if he was telling him to shut up. He then walked over to the idol, then snatched it from it's pedestal, eyeing it after picking it up.

Suddenly, there was a rumbling noise from the ceiling above the foolish Terran. Both Ashkouh and the terran looked up, and a hole opened up in the ceiling right above the terran, and dropped a load of molten lava all over the Terran. The terran screamed in agony as he was incinerated to death. Ashkouh backed away a little as the residual lava crept towards him. And just as soon as it had opened up, the gap in the ceiling closed.

All that remained of the foolish Terran was a still-standing, barbaqued corpse, that looked as though it was now made entirely of ashes, and was still holding the idol in his left hand.

Ashkouh needed to get that idol, but the lava around the dead terran was still very hot. He looked around for something he could use as a bridge or to grab the idol from afar, but found nothing.

Then, he remembered that power he had learned from Grand Elder Tricky once. He then took a deep breath, held in that breath as he focused magic power into his lungs, then, when his lungs felt incredibly chilly, he blew an icy breath all over the lava, cooling it instantly. He then ran over the now hardened lava and grabbed the idol out of the dead terran's hand, then placed it in his bag and ran to the exit. The other two terrans stood in his way, their rifles aimed at him. Ashkouh then drew his bow, then sent two arrows flying at both the terrans' hearts.

He then ran past their bodies and towards the exit of the palace, making a mad dash for the exit. He had the idol now. Now he had to go rescue Riin and Talzo.

He especially couldn't let them hurt Riin.

He cared about her too much to let that happen to her.

However, when finally reached the exit of the palace, he was greeted by a whole mess of terrans with rifles and other weapons, all pointed at him.

One of them yelled something at him that sounded like 'get on your knees!'

However, Ashkouh didn't know that that was what they said.

The Terran yelled it again, this time followed with the click of a rifle being readied.

"Wait, no!"

Ashkouh knew that voice.

He looked to his right and saw a young, 16 year old Cerinian fox girl, same fur color as he, but with purple tiger stripe markings painted on her body, amber colored eyes, long, navy blue hair that reached down to the back of her knees, and wore a tribal outfit consisting of a long skirt made of feathers and a simple hide top that was made simply to cover her breasts.

"Riin!" Ashkouh yelled, about to take a step forward.

The same terran yelled again.

"No, don't shoot him!" Riin yelled at the terran in english (She had learned how to speak it years ago.), "He doesn't understand you!"

Just then, a bigger Terran stepped forward from behind the crowd.

He was very muscular, and looked to be in his thirties. He also had very light skin with an eye patch over his left eye that had a long scar down it, and wore the same kind of uniform as the other terrans.

The terran was accompanied by to other terrans, both carrying rifles, and walked straight up to Ashkouh.

"Restrain him." the larger terran told the other two. The two terrans nodded, and walked behind Ashkouh. One of them smacked him in the stomach with the stock of his rifle, knocking the wind out of him, while the other held his hands behind his back.

The bigger terran looked him in the eyes, then said, "In case it isn't clear…"

He motioned to the terran soldiers behind him, who then brought out another familiar face from out of a large truck.

He was a 17-year-old cerinian boy, but with a more darker blue fur color than him and Riin, green eyes, and wore an outfit made of leather hides, almost like armor.

"Talzo!" Ashkouh called out to him.

The terran soldier brought Talzo forward, over to the bigger terran, who then pulled out a pistol, then shot him right in the face.

Talzo then fell backward onto the ground in a pool of his own blood and brains, dead.

Riin screamed, Then started sobbing loudly at the sight of her brother being murdered right in front of her.

The bigger terran then turned back to Ashkouh, then pointed at him then said, "Ant…"

Then pointed at his gun and followed up with, "… Boot. Now, hand over the idol."

Ashkouh glared up at him, anger seething in his breath.

"Monster!" He yelled, "Demon! I'll won't let you take the idol!" He then spat right in the terran's face. The terran glared at him, then smacked him in the face with the handle of his pistol.

"Stop! Please!"

Riin ran up to him, tears in her eyes.

"Please, let me talk to him…" She begged, "He doesn't understand english, but I can translate for him. I can try to convince him, but please, let me talk to him!"

The terran looked at her, as if considering the request. He then said, "Alright. Fine. But no funny buisiness. Got it?" Riin nodded.

Riin then walked over to Ashkouh, holding him. "Ashkouh…" She said, speaking in his natvie tongue, "Listen to me… These men have threatened to kill everyone in the village if they don't get the idol. You must give it to them. Please…" Ashkouh looked at her, then shook his head and replied, "I can't… If I do, then Master Tykho will have died in vain. They murdered him, Riin! And even if I do, what do you think they'll do to us afterwards? They'll murder us. Just like Tykho, and just like… Talzo…"

Suddenly, Ashkouh looked up to a palm tree behind the group of terrans to see Clouddancer sitting on top of it. Clouddancer then winked at him.

And just like that, a plan formed in Ashkouh's mind. It was desperate, but it had to work.

"Riin." He said to her, looking in her eyes. "Here's what I want you to tell them…"

He then whispered something in her ear.

After he did so, she asked, "Are you sure they'll believe it?"

Ashkouh smiled. "They don't understand Saurian." He said slyly, "And you're the only one translating for me. Of course they'll believe it."

Riin nodded, then turned to the bigger Terran and said, in english this time, "He said that he hid in the palace in a place you wouldn't think to look. He also claimed that you would be looking for it for weeks that it was sucha good hiding spot."

"Oh, is that a fact?" The terran asked. He then motioned to the two terrans holding Ashkouh, and they brought him forward and forced him onto his knees.

The bigger terran then pointed the barrel of his pistol right between Ashkouh's eyes and said, "Any last words, brat?"

Ashkouh looked back at Riin, then back at the Terran, then let out a loud roar that sounded like an almost spot-on impression of that of a T-rex.

The Terran looked down at him, clearly unimpressed.

"Fucking tribal-assed putz." He muttered.

He was just about to pull the trigger, and the ground started to rumble briefly now and again.

The sound of huge, thundering footsteps echoed from beyond the jungle.

And then , out from foilage of the surrounding jungle came a HUGE, monstrous T-rex, who let out a loud, audible roar, much like the one from Jurassic Park.

"Holy shit…" Said one of the soldiers. That same soldier then let loose with his submachine gun at the T-Rex, who then bent down, and bit off the upper part of the soldier's body.

In then confusion, Ashkouh then did a split kick, knocking aside to the two soldiers that were restraining him. He then followed up with a roundhouse kick to the bigger terran's face, knocking him to the ground as well.

"C'mon!" Ashkouh yelled to Riin. She then nodded and followed him as they ran over to Clouddancer and hopped on his back. However, just as they did so, there was the loud bang of a gunshot, and a bullet pierced through Ashkouh's back and out his stomach.

"**ASHKOUH**!" Riin screamed. Ashkouh fell to his knees, as Riin catched him and picked him up, holding him.

Ashkouh saw what appeared to be Clouddancer taking flight.

And then, his vision faded to black…

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Ashkouh opened his eyes slowly and saw that he was now laying in his bed in his hut back at the village. He then saw Riin kneeling over him, holding her hands over the wound, which was emitting a bright, cyan colored magical energy upon it.

He watched as the wound began to close up and heal.

After it was fully healed, Riin took her hands off the wound and panted, slightly exhausted from using her healing powers.

Ashkouh sat up, holding Riin, comforting her. "Easy…" He told her, "Thank you, by the way."

He then went wide-eyed with realizationl.

"Wait…" He said, "Where's the idol?!"

"Already handled, my prince!"

Clouddancer entered the hut, being sure to duck his head as he entered the doorway.

"Clouddancer!" Said Ashkouh, "Where did you-" Clouddancer then made some gaggiing noises, as if he was about to throw up. He then spat out the idol of Andro-Ma, catching it in his wing-hand.

"Here ya go!" Clouddancer said with a smile.

Ashkouh winced as he held the slimy, saliva-coated idol in his hands.

"Thanks, Clouddancer…" He said politely.

"Not a problem, my prince! Oh, by the way, Grand Elder Tricky wishes to speak with you about the Idol!"

Ashkouh looked to Riin, then nodded.

He then stood up out of bed, put his clothes back on, then walked over to the Grand Elder's longhouse.

There, he was greeted by two Saurian Velociraptor guards, who then bowed and stepped aside as he entered. Ashkouh then bowed on his knees when he approached Tricky.

"What is it you wish to speak about the idol with me, Grand elder?" Ashkouh asked.

"Prince Ashkouh…" Tricky began, "As you already know, you are all that remains of your clan. You also probably already know about the fate your aunt chose, do you not?"

Ashkouh nodded. "Clouddancer told me she ran off with an outworlder." He replied.

"Indeed she did." Tricky continued. "As of now, the Idol of Andro-Ma is no longer safe on this planet. As such, you must go to Corneria in the Lylat system and seek out the one named Fox McCloud. _He_ is the outworlder that your aunt."

Tricky's eyes narrowed.

"He, is your uncle."

Ashkouh's eyes went wide with shock.

"And," Tricky went on, "It is because of the heroics he showed while he was here all those years ago, that you must seek him out and give him the idol. If the idol were to fall into the wrong hands… All would be lost."

Ashkouh nodded. "Yes master. I will deliver the Idol to the one named Fox McCloud, but… How would I even go about getting to the Lylat system from here? It's all the way in space, I don't have a-"

"Ashkouh…" Tricky interrupted him, "You are the most resourceful person I have ever known. Surely, finding a way to Corneria shouldn't be too much of a challenge for you." He gave him a smile. "The Terrans might actually have a ship you could, how to say, 'hitch a ride on' wouldn't they?"

Ashkouh looked up at him smiled as well. "Right. Thank you, Grand Elder."

He then got up and ran back to his hut, getting out his bag and packing it with food, supplies and tools, then put it back on along with his gear and his weapons.

"So you're leaving?"

He turned to the doorway to see Riin standing there.

Ashkouh nodded. "I'm going to go hitch a ride on a Terran Military cruiser over in their camp down south and go to the Lylat system, to the planet known as Corneria."

Riin was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "Well, if you're going, then take this with you."

She held out her hands, and in it was a beautiful crystal pendant, that held a bright blue crystal in it.

"It's called a sapphire." She said, "It'll bring you luck. I also enchanted it so it will protect you."

Ashkouh picked it up and put it around his neck. He then went over and embraced Riin in a warm hug.

"Thank you, Riin." He said.

He then walked out of the hut and ran out of it's limits to the south. Eventually, he came upon a large, Terran Military camp, that appeared to be well protected by soldiers clad in a much different kind of camoflage than the soldiers her encountered earlier.

Luckily, it was nightfall, so he was able to sneak around with ease.

He then snuck over to a large, metal transport cruiser that had a camoflage paint job all over it. He stopped underneath it when he heard what one of the soldiers say.

"It's important that I share this intel with the Cornerian Army."

Corneria.

This ship had to be going to Corneria!

He then snuck into the cargo hold and hid in a small gap between some large crates, being sure not to get spotted.

He waited there for what seemed like an hours, before the ship started to shake, then felt like it was rising off the ground.

And with that, Ashkouh's mission began.

However, he knew not of Fox's tragic demise seventeen years ago…

_To be continued…_

_(1) Terran is the term used to refer to a human from Earth._

_(2)Translated from Saurian._

_(3) This is tobacco juice. Someone on that helicoptor was chewing tobacco. Probably claimed that that stuff would make you a "Sexual Tyranosaurus" Just like me…_


	5. Chapter 5: The best of the best

**Team Starfox: Next**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**Reader descretion is Advised.**

**Chapter five: "The best of the best"**

_McCloud Residence_

_The next morning…_

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Falco awoke from his drunken slumber to Krystal shaking him awake. He sat up, his head pounding from a hangover-induced migraine. "Alright, I'm up…" He said groggily, "No need to be so loud."

"Get off the couch, Falco." Krystal commanded.

Falco pulled himself to his feet, stretching as he did so. His back made a cricking noise as he he stretched his arms upwards. He groaned when this happened.

"Jus.. Make me some coffee…" He mumbled, borderline incoherently.

Krystal scowled at him, putting her left hand on her hip.

"What am I? Your servant?" She asked, backsassingly.

"… No, worse. You're my landlord." Falco replied, sounding tired.

Krystal then stormed off to the kitchen area and started making some coffee. "Yeah, speaking of which, Falco," She said as she did so, "You got this month's rent money yet?"

Falco cringed. He'd spent almost a fourth of it on his drinking binge the previous night.

"… Minus one fourth of it, yes."

"Why 'One fourth?'"

"… Because liqour costs money, that's why."

Krystal growled irritably. "Falco, you've got to stop this!" She said, raising her voice, "Binge-drinking and being verbally abusive to your friends and just about everyone else is not going to bring Fox back! All it'll do is-"

"What the hell makes you think that this is about Fox?!" Falco yelled.

"Because, it's _always_ been about Fox!" Krystal yelled back in response, "Ever since he died you've done _nothing_ but blame yourself for his death and go on drinking binges so you can forget about it! And that's not saying much, seeing as how you claim that you can hardly remember exactly what went down that day! And whenever it comes to Marcus, it's always, 'Oh, you're father wouldn'tve done that' or 'that's not the kind of future your father would've wanted for you' it's like you're taking out your pent-up anger and regret on him, and I honestly will **NOT** stand for that! Bottom line: You need _**HELP**_!"

She then slammed a mug filled with fresh coffee right in front of the counter barstool he was sitting on at the time.

"Here's your damn coffee." She muttered angrily.

Falco blew on it once, then took one sip. After said sip, he apparently had the downright nerve to then ask:

"Hey, could you maybe put some cream in this? It's a little too bitter."

After he said that, Krystal threw a a coffee mug that was laying in the drying rack next to the sink at him in anger, causing it to shatter, and him to fall off the barstool, and leaving a small gash on his forehead.

Krystal stood there for a moment, Her teeth gritted in anger as she took in shallow breaths. She then took in a long, deep breath, then regained her composure, then said, "I'm going to go upstairs and meditate. Marcus went out with his friends, so make sure he's home by 6:00 because he's being punished for yesterday. Also, some people from the Cornerian Army Headquarters called earlier. They said they needed to speak to you today, and that it was urgent… And somewhat classified." She then walked upstairs to her room, shutting the door after doing so. Falco stood back up, clutching the part of his forehead where the mug had hit.

_They're really that fucking impatient, are they?_ He thought, _Shit. I might as well just go._

He then showered, being sure to wash the smells of liqour, vomit, urine and shame off of his body, then got dressed in a black t-shirt underneath a light tan cargo vest, a pair of dark blue cargo pants, and a pair of black boots.

He then took a moment to look in the mirror to make sure his eye patch was on straight. Sure enough, it was.

Suddenly, he saw Fox standing behind him in the reflection in the mirror, bearing the very same wounds he sustained on Venom.

"Does your eye still hurt sometimes?" He asked, "Do you still feel the knife digging around in your eye socket? The blood trickling out like an overflowing jar of molasses? Do you still feel the burning of your lungs as you breath in Venom's noxious atmosphere?"

Falco then turned around with a jerk to face his friend-turned tormentor, but saw that no one was there. He turned back to the mirror and saw the same.

He was hallucinating again.

His exposure to Venom's atmosphere really messed him up that day and since.

And furthermore, Krystal was right about one thing: he really _couldn't_ remember the exact details of the events of that day.

And speaking of Krystal, he looked to his left and saw that he had accidentally knocked her toothbrush into the toilet in his haste. He then went and fished it out, then dried it off quickly so she wouldn't notice. He didn't bother to wash it, as there wasn't anything already in the toilet at the time, luckily for him.

It looked to Falco as if it was going to be one of those days…

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_Corneria City Intergalactic Spaceport_

_That same moment…_

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A Terran Military transport cruiser landed on a private landing pad outside the accalimed spaceport. Once it did, and it's passengers had left, Ashkouh snuck out of the cargo bay, then jumped the runway fence. He looked out at the vast cityscape before him.

Corneria City itself was like something out of a dream; Large buildings that were so tall they looked as thought they could reach to the heavens themselves, roads that ran miles above the ground, strange metal behemoths that ran across long, metal beams, and large, metal vehicles that floated above the ground, far unlike any of the Terran vehicles he had seen back on Terra. Ashkouh had never seen anything like this place before in his entire life, and it left him amazed, excited, and yet also a little nervous.

He'd never been this far away from his homeworld before, let alone on another planet, even. But, regardless, he had a task to complete, and it was the only thing that he had to worry about. _Okay, I just need to find Fox McCloud,_ He thought, _Only then will the Idol of Andro-Ma be safe. And also… I'll be able to meet my Aunt Krystal finally. Who knows? Maybe I even have a cousin!_ A smile spread wide across his face. "Alright!" He exclaimed (still speaking in Saurian despite being on a planet inhabited by primarily english-speakers), "Time to go find my Aunt and Uncle!"

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_Cornerian Army Headquarters_

_Central Corneria City_

_Sometime later…_

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"What the fuck do you mean 'I can't bring this in here?!'" Falco snapped at the security guard manning the security checkin.

"Sir, I mean it as it sounds," the guard replied, "You can't bring that in here."

"I can't bring a bottle of fucking apple juice in here, really? What the fuck could I possibly do with it?"

"We don't allow open containers of liquid beyond this point, regardless of what it is."

Falco scowled at the guard for a moment, then cooled down and retorted with, "Y'know what, fuck it. Give me a minute…"

He then unscrewed the cap of the bottle of apple juice, then downed the entire bottle in mere seconds. When he was done, he took a deep gasp of breath, then wiped his mouth on his sleeve, then shoved the bottle into the guards hands.

"Since you were so insistant with me not bringing this in," Said Falco cooly, "You wouldn't mind recycling this, would you?"

The guard opened his mouth to protest, but Falco just simply replied with, "Thanks, dickbag." He then walked off, going towards the front desk, flipping him the middle finger as he did so.

He was greeted with a Cornerian Mink women with white fur and brown hair, coupled with bright blue eyes and a blue dress uniform.

"I'm here to see General Tybalt Anderson about a problem that needed addressing." He told her.

"Name?" She asked.

"Falco Lombardi."

The woman's eyes lit up with excitement instantly upon hearing his name.

"Oh my God, _THE_ Loner, Falco Lombardi?!"

Falco felt his left eye twitch slightly in irritation. But, he held it in, as he knew he shouldn't cause a scene right now.

"… Y-Yyes." He replied, "That's-Thass me. That's what they called me."

"Oh my God, I'm such a _**HUGE**_ fan of yours! Your cover photo on Fine Feathers Magazine was SO hot! I swear, the moment I saw I sort of peed a little and-"

"Hey, uh, Listen!" Falco interrupted, trying to be as polite as he could, "I know you're a fan, really, but I kinda have a place to be right now, sso if you wouldn't mind…"

The woman snapped back to reality. "Oh-oh, right, sorry." She then got up and led him through the halls, until they got into a glass elevator. She pressed the button for the 12th floor, and waited right next to Falco, who was busy looking out at the view of the cityscape that the elevator provided.

"So… Uhhh…" the woman began.

Falco shrugged, then sharply asked, "What?"

"This is going to sound a little out of the blue, but… Are you currently single?"

Falco grinded his beak in anger and irritation as growling escaped his lips. He then proceeded to swallowing hard, then taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself, and therfore swallow his anger (Which is a _highly_ unhealthy way to deal with one's anger, but hey, who am I to judge?), then answered with, "Yes. I'm single." He then raised his right pointer finger in the air and continued, interrupting the woman before she could say anything else, "AND… And, I'm not looking for anyone at this current time."

The elevator made a 'bing' noise as it reached it's destination, and Falco walked out of it without even glancing back at the receptionist, saying, "Alright, let's get this shit over with."

"Th-third door… On the right…" The receptionist called after him, deflated after having her dreams of being Falco's girlfriend being dashed.

Once he reached the door he wanted, he then threw it open rudely, then walked in and said, "Alright, so what's happening that is _so_ goddamned bad that you need me in on this?"

Joining him in the room was Fletcher, whom he had the pleasure of meeting the night before (And was slightly drunk off his ass at the time while doing so.), as was a Terran, who was sitting in a chair to his immediate right, and a Cornerian tiger man, whom he assumed was General Tybalt.

The Terran was male, fairly light skin, about 32 in age, long, dark brown hair that was styled in a sort of mullet, hazel eyes, a long scar going down his right eye down to his cheek, and wore a grey t-shirt with a picture of a bomb with a pair of eyes, feet, and a wind-up key on the back of it with it's fuse lit printed on it, and had the text, 'Run' printed undeneath the walking, clockwork bomb, jungle camoflage cargo pants, a pair of black, leather fingerless gloves, combat boots, a set of Desert Eagle pistols held in holsters worn on his thighs, and a tattoo on his right arm of a tiger moth with the text, 'S.O.G. Tigermoth' bordering it.

And of course, General Tybalt, had bright yellow fur with black stripes all over, green eyes, grey hair that was styled in a short crewcut, and wore a Cornerian Army general's uniform.

"Ah, Mr. Lombardi." Said Tybalt, "We were actually waiting on you. Please, take a seat."

Falco did so, noticing immediately that the chairs in Tybalt's office were better for his back than the ones in the staff break room back at the elementary school he worked at.

"So what is so goddamned important that you just couldn't wait at least a day or two to tell me?" Falco immediately asked.

"Glad you asked, Mr. Lombardi," Tybalt answered, then nodding to the Terran, then said, "Commander Tracer, if you would?"

Tracer took out a manilla folder, then handed it to Falco. The front of the folder had the word 'Classified' stamped on the front of it in bright red ink.

Having a strong feeling where this was going, Falco opened it up.

Inside, there was a multitude of articles; a map of the northeastern jungles of the western hemisphere of the planet Terra, which had a big red 'X' drawn in red ink on a certain location, a top-down photo of what looked like some kind of base or complex, mission files, and, of course, a photo of Andrew talking to a terran wearing a New Russian Red Army uniform.

"At about 6:22 AM WHT(1)," Said Tracer, his voice rough like sandpaper, "One of our UAV drones that we had sweeping the area picked up what looked like a Uranium smuggling operation. However, the region in which the operation was located does not have any uranium in it's soil. So, at about 12:00 PM WHT, I went with a small platoon to investigate. As it turns out, the cartels aren't the only ones using Terra as a location for some kind of base…"

He then pulled out a crest of the Oikanny empire that looked like it had been torn right off of an Aparoid.

"I pulled this off of one of their robots." He said, "I was told you would be more familiar with it than I am."

Falco stared at the torn crest, hatred seething in his eyes. Years of pent-up anger at both Andrew and himself started to slowly bubble up to the surface, much like magma in a volcano about to erupt.

Falco took a deep breath in an effort to keep himself from going off, then asked,

"So why can't your boys take care of it? Isn't Andrew like, a war criminal or something?"

"Because we can't." Tybalt answered sternly, "It's out of our jurestriction." He then stood back up, walking over to a nearby shelf, then taking a pot of freshly brewed coffee off of a hotplate, then pouring some into a mug he kept right next to it.

He took a sip, then asked, "Mr. Lombardi, are you aware of the 'Prime Directive?'"

Falco looked to him, thinking for only a moment, then answered, "Yeah, of course I am. It's the first rule of your goddamn 'Ten Commandments of Space Travel' or whatever."

"Would you mind repeating, as best as you can, in your own words, the details of said rule?"

"Well…" Falco responded, "Basically, we're not allowed to mess with the business of other planets. If we fuck their shit up, there will always be repricussions."

Tybalt took another sip, then said, "Crude choice of words, but correct. Mr. Lombardi…" He turned and walked back to his desk and sat down at it.

"… The reason we can't do anything about this…" He continued, "… Is because Oikanny has taken residency on Planet Venom, and has operations going on on a multitude of planets and systems, primarily The Lylat and Terran Systems. Because of this, since there are _still_ known civilizations on Venom, primarily underdeveloped ones, this falls within the confines of their business, which means, in a nutshell, that we can't touch him. The Prime directive is the only obstacle keeping us from launching a full-scale preemptive strike on Oikanny and his forces. However…"

He looked at Falco and smiled.

"… The prime directive doesn't apply to mercenaries."

Falco looked at him.

"… Huh?" he said.

"Mr. Lombardi, are you aware that in past years, we've actually monitered Team Starfox's actions since the battle of Corneria City?" Tybalt asked.

Falco shook his head.

"… No."

"Well, we noticed you gentlemen tend to ignore the prime directive completely whenever you get a chance, and sometimes, we've actually had to clean up after some of your… 'messes' For example, do you recall the 'General Scales' affair?"

Falco thought back to when that happened, and what he was doing at the time.

At the time, he was summering on the 'Red Ring' colony on Io, and specifically remembered getting comepletely wasted and participating in a city-wide riot, helping to cause millions of Galactic credits in property damage, as well as injuring many.

"… Not really, no." He answered.

"Well, your friend Fox happened to _directly_ break the prime directive and dampen relations between us and the Terrans in one fell swoop."

"He was helping to free them from an evil dictator." Falco said cooly, defending his dead friend.

"I know…" Said Tybalt, "… Which is why we need you for this. And not just you…"

Tybalt narrowed his eyes.

"… We need Team Starfox…"

Falco knew right from the beginning that this is what Tybalt would end up saying. He also remembered back to the reason the team broke up in the first place.

"Well, I hate to tell you, sweetheart," Said Falco, "But we've been broken up for years. So you're gonna have to lo-"

"Not a problem…" Tybalt interrupted. He then pulled a thicker manilla folder out from a drawer on his desk, then slamming it on the desk in front of Falco, then opening it, showing dossiers of a multitude of individuals.

"… Because we're already putting together a team of the best of the best!" He finished, "Only the best and brightest that the galaxy has to offer! Soldiers, Mercenaries, Bounty hunters, social misfits, freaks, geeks, punks, etc, etc. In fact, Lt. Fletcher, as well as Commander Tracer here, will be joining you as well."

Both individuals had mixed reactions.

"really now?" Tracer responded, a sly smile spreading across his face, "How much are we talking in terms of pay?"

"Wait-what?!" Fletcher exclaimed.

"That's right, Leutenant, you're fired." Tybalt told him, a big old smile across his face.

"General…"

Falco sighed, then said, "I'm not doing it. I'm not risking the life of those of us that are still living."

He then got up, then started towards the door.

He only got halfway when Tybalt said;

"… you may not get another chance."

Falco turned his gaze back to Tybalt upon hearing this.

"… Excuse me?"

"Mr. Lombardi, I know how much you hate Oikanny for what he did. I also know that mercenary types like you tend to hold grudges. If you let this go, if you walk away now, you might not get another opportunity to avenge Fox."

Falco stood there and thought for a moment.

On one hand, he could deal some serious payback to Oikanny, as well as show the galaxy what the _real_ Team Starfox was all about.

On the other, he could risk the lives of not only himself, but also whatever team Tybalt put together for him.

He took a deep breath, then gave his answer.

"… When do I kill him?"

_To be continued…_

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_(1)Western Hemisphere Time_

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_Author's note: sorry if this took ages to post, it's just that I got so wrapped up in other projects that I completely ignored this little gem. So, I'll try to update this one more._


	6. Chapter 6: Cousins

**Team Starfox: Next**

**The ratings and disclaimers from the previous chapter will also apply to this chapter and all subsequent chapters.**

**Reader Descretion is advised.**

**Chapter Six: Cousins**

_Rissa's Pier_

_Corneria City Beachfront Community_

_Sometime at noon, that same day…_

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"So, yeah, I got myself a little bit grounded for yesterday." Marcus explained to his friends. "Geez, rough." Said Koko, wincing only slightly in simpathy. "I'm still sorry we bailed on you like that yesterday." Ego apologized, his mouth full of pieces of chewed pretzel rod. He then swallowed. "I just hope you'll still be able to come to the Trench Run Comp tonight." "Of course I'll come," Marcus answered, "Since when has being grounded ever stopped me from leaving the house?" "True, true," Ego responded, taking another bite of the pretzel rod he bought earlier, "I just hope you bring your A-game tonight, 'cause we're going against Starky tonight." Marcus groaned irritably. "I hate that guy!" He said, "He's such a dick!" "I hear he cheats," Said Koko, "That he sabotages his opponent's runners in order to win sometimes." "My advice to you, Marcus…" Said Ego, putting his arm around Marcus' shoulder, his mouth still full of pretzel, "Before the race, keep an eye on your runner at all times. Never let your gaze stray from it for _anything_!" "Why can't _you_ watch it?" Marcus asked in response. "Marcus," Ego answered after swallowing another mouthful of pretzel, "Just because I keep it at my place doesn't mean it's my responsibility to look out for possible sabotours. That's your job." Marcus growled under his breath. "… You're starting to sound irritably similar to Falco." He said. "Whoa, chill out, Marcus," Said Ego, "I was just telling you is all. Here, have a chocolate covered pretzel rod." He handed him a pretzel rod covered entirely in milk chocolate. Marcus looked at it for a moment, as if considering the idea of eating it, then finally bit into it. The taste was so good, it took his mind off of his troubles for almost a split second…

Until…

"Hey, check it out, they added a Planet Starfox to the outlet mall here!" Said Ego.

And just like that, Marcus' moment of bliss was gone as he remembered another reason he hated his father.

That goddamn store.

It was like Hot Topic, except with Team Starfox Merchandise.

They had just about everything; T-shirts, hoodies, hats, underwear, lingerie, cosplay costumes, coffee mugs, bobblehead dolls, action figures, comics, posters, sports watches, blaster replicas, models, wall hangups, bumper stickers, toys, Yoai Collab books, Yuri Collab books, Tentacle Collab books (_Don't fucking ask_. Trust me.), Handytools, Breadmakers, Microwaves, Mini televisions, Video Games, Scuba gear, Keychains, Iphone and android cases, 4DS skins, flamethrowers (Remember? We went over this in chapter one!), Sword replicas, lolipops and other assorted candies, furry costumes, sex novelties, backpacks, fannypacks, belt buckles, socks, Hoverboards, jackets, sunglasses…

Plus, a goddamn, piss-tasting sports drink.

It's called: '_StarFaux'_

...

Damn, no wonder Marcus hates that store.

Anyways…

"Oh, dude, my girlfriend's birthday is comin' up!" Said Ego, "I should totally buy her a Yaoi book!" Koko shook her head. "Y'know Ego," she said, "You _could_ just buy her a t-shirt like a normal person would." "Hey, don't hate 'cause she's into that sort of thing!" Ego responded, "She just likes looking at Fox make out with-" "Ego…" "Yeah, Marcus?" Marcus bit his lip to keep himself from pummeling Ego for talking about his father making out with Falco, or just talking about his father in general. "… Don't…" He said in a low growl, "… Just _don't_."

Ego thought hard about what to say next before he said it. Unfortunatly, his better judgement wasn't all that great at times…

Just watch…

"… Maybe I could get her a Krystal cosplay costume, instead."

Before Marcus could say anything else, his attention was redirected elsewhere, as he was approached by a sixteen-year-old Cerinian boy wearing a tribal outfit.

He addressed Marcus in Saurian, speaking in a tongue that Marcus had never actually heard in person. "Uhhh…" He said, caught completely by surprise, "… Hi…" The boy tilted his head in confusion, and asked him something in Saurian. He then spotted Ego, standing off to the side. Seeing as how he was Saurian, He asked Ego if he could translate for him. Unfortunatly, the only reason Ego lives on Corneria in the first place is because his parents emmigrated there from Terra years ago. So, as such, The only word Ego heard that he understood at all was the word 'Saur' which, appropriately enough, came after the word 'Ve'na'

So, here was his response;

"Ummm… Yeah, Venusaur _is_ a pokemon, but I wouldn't say that it's my favorite, though."

The boy scrunched his face in confusion. He then thought for a moment, then, an idea sprung into his head. "So, like, is there an anime convention or something going on today?" Asked Koko, "'Cause this guy looks like he's cosplaying James Camaron's Avatar." Marcus then began to ask the boy, "Are you lost? Did you get-"

He was then cut off immediately by this…

'_Can you hear me now?'_ he heard a voice in his head say. Startled, Marcus looked around for the speaker, but then looked back at the boy. _Did he just…_ Marcus began to think, but was cut off again, '_Do you really not know how to use telekinesis? Strange. I thought all us Cerinians knew how to do it.' _Marcus looked at the boy, wide-eyed with shock.

His left eyelid twitched every now and again.

"You alright, Marcus?" Ego asked. Marcus shook his head, then replied, "I'm fine, I just…" '_You wouldn't happen to know a man named Fox Mcloud, would you?' _Unfortunatly, for this newcomer, saying, or, thinking, or whatever verb describes speaking through telelpathy, this only made Marcus upset. "Yes…" He responded halfheartedly, despite his two friends not knowing what he was responding to, "I do. He's my father…" The boy's eyes lit up instantly. '_In that case, can you take me to him? You see, there something urgent that I-' _

"I can't…"

The boy tilted his head in confusion.

'_Why not?'_

"… Because he's dead."

A look of shock overtook the boy's face.

'… _Dead?! How? When?'_

"He was killed, years ago… Right before I was born, in fact."

"Ummm, Marcus?"

Marcus looked back to his two friends. "Who are you talking to?" Ego asked. Marcus looked to his friends, then to the boy, then replied, "I gotta go. I'll see you guys tonight." He then walked ahead, while the boy tried to catch up, still processing what he had just heard. "C'mon, I'll at least take you to see my mom," He told the boy, "I'll explain everything on the way." The boy followed him as they walked to the Mag-Lev train station. "So, what's your name?" Marcus asked, "'Cause mine's Marcus." '_I am Prince Ashkouh L'talosin Valkire.' _Marcus thought for a moment, then said, "I think I'll just call you 'Ash' for short." They then boarded the Mag-Lev train (After Marcus managed to convince Ash that it wasn't a giant monster or whatever he was calling it.) and rode it towards the station that was close to where he lived.

Now, Marcus had no idea as to how he would be able to communicate to Ash in a public setting like this, because he couldn't just talk while Ash spoke to him telepathically. That would just make him look like he was crazy. So, instead, he just pulled out his 4DS and played Pokemon Sky Version for a bit until they got to their stop. At the moment, he was raising his pokemon's levels for the next gym, which was a Grass-type using gym. Even though he chose the fire-type starter, he knew that the leader's best pokemon was a grass-water type, so he had caught a flying type a little while ago, and needed to bring it's levels up to par with the leader's pokemon.

However, he had no idea that Ash was watching him the entire time.

'_That thing in that device you're using looks almost like a friend of mine back on Terra!' _Ash was of course, referring to the pokemon Marcus was using in a trainer battle, which looked almost like a pteradactyl. Marcus groaned. _It's gonna be a long-assed ride home…_ he thought. '_But… You said it would only take thirty minutes.' _"**GODDAMMIT, GET OUT OF MY HEAD**!" Marcus shouted. He then looked around and realized what he had just done. He smiled sheepishly, then said, "The game, it's like… The AI in it knows exactly what move I'm gonna make… ehehehehe…"

When they got off at their destination, it was almost 6:00, and the two ended up making better time than Marcus would've expected. Upon reaching Marcus' front door, Marcus stopped in front of it, then turned to Ash, and said, "Now I'm not sure as to whether or not my mom knows that you exist, so let me do the talking." He then opened the front door slowly, then took a step in. "Hey, mom, I'm home!" He called out. Krystal walked into the foyer to greet him. "You're home early," She said, "Something happen?" "Uhhhh… S-sorta…" Marcus began. He then gulped, then asked, "Hey mom, do I maybe have any relatives on Terra? Namely Cerinian ones?" Slightly shocked by his sudden interest in his Cerinian relatives, Krystal took a moment to process what she was just asked. She then replied, "Well, there is your Aunt Tilala, but I honestly haven't seen her since, well, since way before you were born, actually. Why do you ask?" "Well, see…"

Marcus then moved aside to allow Ash to enter the house. Krystal nearly had a heart attack when she saw him. "Mom," Marcus introduced awkwardly, "this is… Ashkouh… Forgot the rest of his name, thought it doesn't matter seeing as how I probably wouldn't be able to pronounce it anyway." "Kree-Stal," Said Ash, which was the only word he had said that Marcus understood. Krystal looked to Ash, then to Marcus, then said, "Marcus, could you maybe…" Marcus shrugged, "Sure, sure, I bet you two have a _shit-ton_ of catching up to do!" He then stormed up into his room and slammed the door behind him.

Krystal sighed, then cleared her throat, and spoke to Ash in his native tongue. "((So, Ashkouh, is it?))" She asked. Ash nodded. "((Yes.))" He answered, "((I've come quite a distance just so I could talk to you, or… Well… I guess I kind of want to ask you…))" Ash blinked back tears that threatened to come out. "((Is Fox Mcloud really dead?))" Upon hearing this question, Krystal's lips quivered, and she too attempted to fight the urge to cry, but it was a losing battle, as always. "((… Yes…))" She answered, tears running down her cheeks, "((He has been dead for about seventeen years.))" Ash's ears fell flat against his head. "((So it is true…))" He said sadly. "((C'mon…)" Said Krystal, "((I'll make us some tea. Clearly there's a lot to talk about.))" Ash then realized the reason he had come to Corneria in the first place. "((Oh! There is! There is something we need to talk about!))" He exclaimed as he walked with her to the kitchen. He then opened his bag and pulled out the Idol of Andro-Ma. "((I retrieved this from Krazoa Palace,))" He explained, "((Grand Elder Tricky told me to take it Fox originally, but since he's dead, I guess that would leave you.))" Krystal went wide-eyed with shock. "((The idol of Andro-Ma?!))" She exclaimed. Ash nodded again. "((He told me to make sure someone kept it safe,))" He explained, "((Because there are bad people after it back on Terra!))" "((Bad people…))" Krystal muttered. She then went wide-eyed with horrific realization. _Oikanny…_ She thought. "((I think you're gonna need to put that away until Falco gets home.))" She instructed. Ash tilted his head in confusion. "((Who's this 'Fal-ko?))" He asked. "((Someone who might be able to help you better.))" She said, "((Now, put it away.))" Obediantly, Ash put the idol back in his bag. Krystal then walked over to one of the cupboards and got out a box of tea bags. "((He shouldn't be much longer,))" She told him reassuringly, "((Now, in the meantime, why don't you tell me about what's been going on on Terra. It's been years since I heard anything about home!))"

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_Sometime later…_

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Marcus sat in his room, playing Elder Scrolls XVIII 2: Skyrim 2025 on his Xbox 900, wondering when Ash and his mom would be done talking about whatever it is Ash wanted to talk to her about. Currently, he was at a part where he had to hunt down a werewolf that was not only terrorizing a small town, but was also sentiant and capable of human speech and thought. His character was a Khajiit who was equipped with an elven beam sword, dragonscale bulletproof armor, and a semi-auto hunting rifle that he had equipped with silver bullets. He guided his character through a dark forest behind the town, looking for the beast to come out or something. Suddenly, there was the sound of growling. Then, a voice…

"A Khajiit?" It said, gruff, yet human-sounding, "I've never seen a Khajiit bold enough to venture out here…" Just then, a hulking werewolf jumped out from behind some bushes. However, the beast looked… Horrifically familiar…

Someone Marcus hoped he would never see again.

The werewolf chuckled.

"Tell me, Khajiit," He began, "Do you know what comes after death? I hardly know, myself, and I've started to wonder, nowadays. They say that humans are often fearful of death, because they're scared as to whether or not there is a god. But what about you, Khajiit? Are _you_ scared?" Marcus dropped the controller, breathing in short, shallow breaths as he started to revisit a truamatic memory from his childhood. His eyes went wide, his pupils mere pinpricks as tears streamed from them. He put his right hand to his chest, then started muttering to himself;

"I'm not scared… I'm not scared… I-I'm not s-s-scared…"

He then switched off his Xbox and crawled over to his bed and leaned against the side of it, huddled into the feeble position, muttering the same phrase over and over again in an effort to calm himself. Suddenly, Krystal knocked on his bedroom door, causing him to jump, yelping loudly. He clutched his chest, as he had literally almost had a heart attack. "Marcus?" Krystal asked, opening the door slightly, "Are you… Oh my God…" She then ran to Marcus' side, putting her hand on his back to rub it soothingly. "Sweetie, are you okay?" She asked, "What happened?" Marcus shivered, verging on sobbing. He then looked up at Krystal, then embraced her in a hug, sobbing onto her shoulder. "It w-was…" He said, sobbing uncontrollably, "It was… H-h-him again…" Krystal knew exactly whom Marcus was referring to. _Wolf…_ She thought. She then hugged Marcus back. "Shhh… Shhh… It's okay…" She told him, soothing him, "He can't hurt you anymore. You're safe now. That's all that matters." She knew this to be a fact.

After all, thanks to her testimony in the trial, Wolf was now locked down in Grendamal's Asylum for the criminally insane on Mars.

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_Grendamal's Asylum for the Criminally Insane_

_New Pheonix, Mars_

_That same moment…_

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_Wolf's POV…_

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Years ago, while I was staying on a Cornerian colony on Venus' Galileo halo ring space station, I met a girl who was into kink.

She was Cornerian, might've been a Spaniel or something, I honestly don't remember. We dated for a while. She was rather nice. She loved strawberry sundeas and fish tacos. The sweetest person I'd ever met.

… Until we had sex the first time, that is.

She was one kinky-assed bitch. We dressed in latex catsuits and whatnot, strapped corsets around our waists, posture collars on our necks, ballgags, the whole shebang, and then, she would handcuff me to the bedpost, and we'd begin the lovely game of BDSM. After she would spank me raw, we would then proceed to the main event.

Fucking like two horny little rabbits.

Funny.

She'd be getting a kick out of my current state.

I mean, here I was, sitting on the floor of a small, padded room, locked in a straitjacket, with a fucking muzzle clamped over my mouth like Hannibal Goddamn Lecter.

All because of that Cerinian whore.

She gave me a gift. A goddamn gift of our 'friendship' and then, she left. She fucking left me for that dumb-assed, cocky freak, Fox Mcloud. She even had a kid with him. Funny how he never lived to see him. I did, though. That's how I ended up here.

Fucking little shit.

He was weak, a fucking crybaby. He didn't even wait until I hit him to start bawling his goddamn eyes out.

He did bruise easily, though.

_Really_ easily.

I heard the familiar beep of the cardkey going through the lock on the door. A nurse entered the room, followed by a bulky assistant that I was positive was named 'George' She was carrying a tray holding what I assumed was my dinner tonight. There was a salami and cheese sandwich, coupled with a glass of grape juice, apple slices, and a small, plastic container which held a pair of small, red and purple capsule pills. My meds, obviously.

God, I hated those things.

She then took the muzzle off of my mouth, and quickly pulled her hands away after she finished, as if she was afraid I'd bite her. Forgetful bitch. I only bit that _one_ doctor, and it was because he nagged me about taking two steaks instead of just one at the lunch counter.

Fuck him.

Though, in his defense, I do have rather sharp teeth, and I did kinda nearly bite his entire arm in two. What can I say, though? That's how us wolves are. He have big eyes, big noses, and sharp, fucking teeth. 'All the better to eat you with, my dear!' God, I loved that story when I was a child. It was my favorite. Second, of course, to 'The Boy who cried Wolf' My father would always use this gruff, monster voice when he was reading the Wolf's lines.

God, I miss my father.

Anyways, before I get more off track, she then took the straitjacket off of me, while her assistant stood ready with the stun baton. I could tell she was horrified of me. Why wouldn't she be? I'm a dangerous criminal with a sick mind.

I picked up the sandwich, and bit into it once. After swallowing my huge-assed bite of the sandwich, which was almost the area of the entire damn thing, I then said; "… You forgot the Mayo, cunt."

She then looked at me with horror in her eyes, her lips quivering. God, I fucking love doing that to newbies. Freaks them right the fuck out. "I-I'm so sorry, Mr. O'Donnell," She began, but I silenced her with a soft 'shhhh' putting a finger to her lips. "Just call me Wolf." I cooed in her ear. _Oh god…_ I heard her think, _Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts... _The only good thing that came from dating that Cerinian slut… She gave me a bit of her powers.

I can now read minds.

Not as fun as it sounds, by the way. Sometimes there are thoughts I wished I never heard. "Hey," Said the burly assistant, "You know the rules, O'Donnell. No touching the staff." "When's the last time _you_ ever touched a women, faggot?" I asked the assistant. He glared at me. "Watch it, pal." He snarled at me, "I have orders to subdue you if becomes necissary, and I'll do it in a jiffy, too. So you just be a good little boy and eat your lunch!" Lunch? Oh, so it was only noon? I guess I just lost track of time. I looked at him, being sure to look directly into his eyes.

_Man, I don't have time for this shit._ I heard him think, _I'd rather be fucking with that insane broad over in cellblock 4-B. Yeah, the schitzo-chick. She always pees herself when I hit her with the stun-baton enough times. Cracks me up everytime. Why the fuck is this guy looking at me like that? And what's up with his eyes? Why are they so-_

"Big?" I asked mockingly, "All the better to see you with, my dear." He jumped nearly a foot when I finished his thought out loud for him. "Wuh-What the fuck?" He stammered, "How did-" "Oh, you didn't know?" I asked him, "I guess you were too busy harrassing inmate 223 too much to notice. Speaking of which, I don't exactly find you hurting my friend Sasha very amusing. Not in the least bit." I chuckled.

"And speaking of hurting women…"

I then stabbed the nurse in the face with my naturally sharp claws, leaving five deep, bloody holes in her face. She screamed, clutching her face in her hands as it bled through her fingers. The assistant brandished his stun-baton, but I was too quick for him. I pounced on top of him, pinning him on the ground.

"Say it…" I snarled, baring my fangs at him.

"Wuh-wha?" He stammered.

"Say the fucking line!" I yelled.

I then told him what I wanted to say using my telepathy.

"Muh-My, Mr. O'Donnell," He stammered weakly, "What big eyes you have…"

"All the better to see you with, George."

Apparently I was right about his name.

"My, Mr. O'Donnell," He continued, "Wh-what big ears you have."

"All the better to hear you with, douchebag."

"My, Mr. O'Donnell, what… What… Oh God…"

"Keep saying the line or I'll rip your **FUCKING TESTICLES OFF**!"

"**MY MR. O'DONNELL, WHAT BIG TEETH YOU HAVE**!" He finished with a sob.

I grinned down at him.

"Look at me…" I told him.

He turned his gaze away, sobbing uncontrollably as snot flowed out of his nose as he cried.

I then grabbed him by his chin, then jerked his gaze at me.

"**LOOK AT ME**!" I bellowed at him.

He then started sobbing again.

I then grinned wider, showing off my sharp fangs.

"… All the better to bite your fucking jugular vein with, cockrug." I whispered.

I then clamped my jaw down hard on his neck, rupturing several other veins than I had intended. I then pulled off, watching him bleed all over the place in seconds. I had blood all over me.

I liked it.

A lot.

I then started to laugh.

It was low at first, then it started to turn into a loud, manic laugh. I then picked up the man's stun baton, and his keycard, then ran towards the exit, killing anyone who got in my way. I hadn't had this much fun since I was with Team StarWolf.

Before long, I was out of that goddamn shithole of an insane asylum, and running down the road towards town.

Only one thought raced through my mind the entire run towards town…

Revenge.

_To be continued…_


End file.
